I. Hiram of Tyre "

Principal Conductor of "
the works.
Treasurer "
Recorder "
Captain of the Guards "
Steward "
Marshal "
a trowel and level, a trowel and plumb.
a trowel and cross keys, a trowel and cross pens, a trowel and sword, a trowel and cross swords, a trowel and baton.
If a conductor of the Council is used, he wears a trowel and baton and then a scroll is added to the Marshal's baton to distin- guish the two officers.
All the jewels are of silver and are enclosed within an equi- lateral triangle.
4. In Commanderies of Knights Templars.
Eminent Commander wears a cross surmounted by
Generalissimo
Captain General
rays of light. a square surmounted by a paschal lamb, a level surmounted by a
cock.
JEW- JOA
Prelate
wears
Senior Warden
a
Junior Warden
tt
Treasurer
a
Recorder
a
Standard Bearer
a
233
Warder
Three Guards
The jewels are of silver.
a triple triangle, a hollow square and
sword of justice, eagle and flaming sword, cross keys, cross pens, a plumb surmounted by
a banner. a square plate inscribed
with a trumpet and
cross swords. a square plate inscribed with a battle-axe.
JEWEL OF AN ANCIENT GRAND MASTER. A masonic tradition informs us that the Jewel of an ancient Grand Master at the Temple was the square and compass with the letter Gl between. This was the jewel worn by Hiram Abif on the day which deprived the craft of his invaluable services, and which was subsequently found upon him.
JOABERT. This was the name of the chief favourite of Solomon, who, according to the traditions of masonry, incurred the displeasure of Hiram of Tyre on a certain occasion, but was subse- quently pardoned ; and, on account of the great attachment he had shown to the person of his master, was appointed the Secretary of Solomon and Hiram in their most intimate relations. He was afterward still further promoted by Solomon, and appointed with Tito and Adoniram a Provost and Judge. He distinguished him- self in his successful efforts to bring certain traitors to condign punishment, and although by his rashness he at first excited the anger of the king, he was subsequently forgiven, and eventually received the highest reward that Solomon could bestcw, by being made an Elect, Perfect, and Sublime Mason.
20*
234 " JOH— JOP
JOHANNITE MASONRY. That system of masonry which contends for the dedication of all symbolic lodges to St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist. This is the system now practised in the United States, and formerly in England. Since the union in 1813, a change has been effected in the latter coun- try, in whose lodges the "lines parallel" are said to represent Moses and King Solomon. But this is admitted to be an in- novation, and the most celebrated masonic writer of England, Dr. Oliver, has written a series of " Letters on Johannite Ma- sonry," in which he strongly argues for the restoration of the ancient parallelism.
JOHN'S BROTHERS. In a curious masonic document, entitled the Charter of Cologne, it is said that before the year 1440, the Society of Freemasons were known by no other name than that of " John's Brothers;" that they then began to be called at Valenciennes, Free and Accepted Masons; and that at that time, in some parts of Flanders, by the assistance and riches of the brotherhood, the first hospitals were erected for the relief of such as were afflicted with St. Anthony's fire.
JOPPA. A town of Palestine and the seaport of Jerusalem, from which it is distant about forty miles in a westerly direction. It was here that the King of Tyre sent ships laden with timber and marble to be forwarded overland to Solomon for the construc- tion of the Temple. Its shore is exceedingly rough and much dreaded by navigators, who, on account of its exposure and the perpendicularity of its banks, are compelled to be perpetually on their guard. The following extract from the narrative of the Baron Geramb, a Trappist, who visited the Holy Land in 1842, will be interesting to Mark Masters. " Yesterday morning at daybreak, boats put off and surrounded the vessel to take us to the town (of Joppa,) the access to which is difficult on account of the numerous rocks that present to view their bare flanks. The walls were covered with spectators, attracted by curiosity. The
JOS— JUR 235
boats being much lower than the bridge, upon which one is obliged tc climb, and having no ladder, the landing is not effected without danger. More than once it has happened, that passengers in springing out have broken their limbs, and we might have met with the like accident, if several persons had not hastened to our assistance."* The place is now called Jaffa.
JOSHUA, or JESHUA. The High Priest who with Ze- rubbabel the Prince of Judah, superintended the re-building of the Temple, after the Babylonian captivity. He was the High Priest by lineal descent from the Pontifical family ; for he was the son of Josadek, who was the son of Seraiah, who was the High Priest when the Temple was destroyed by the Chaldeans.
JUDAH. The whole of Palestine was sometimes called the Land of Judah, because Judah was a distinguished tribe in ob- taining possession of the country. The tribe of Judah bore a Lion in their standard, and hence the masonic allusion to the Lion of the tribe of Judah. See also Genesis xlix. 9. " Judah is a lion's whelp."
JUDAH AND BENJAMIN. Of the twelve tribes of Israel who were, at various times carried into captivity, only two, those of Judah and Benjamin, returned under Zerubbabel to rebuild the second temple.
JUNIOR WARDEN. See Wardens.
JURISDICTION. The jurisdiction of a Grand Lodge extends over every lodge working within its territorial limits, and over all places not already occupied by a Grand Lodge. The territorial limits of a Grand Lodge are determined in general by the political boundaries of the country in which it is placed. Thus the terri- torial limits of the Grand Lodge of South Carolina are circum-
* Pilgrimage to Jerusalem and Mount Sinai. Vol. i. p. 27.
236 JUS— KAD
scribed within the settled boundaries of that State. Nor can ita jurisdiction extend beyond these limits into the neighbouring States of North Carolina or Georgia. The Grand Lodge of South Carolina could not, therefore, without an infringement of masonic usage, grant a warrant of constitution to any lodge located in either of these latter States. It might, however, grant a charter for a lodge in any Territory if there is not in existence a Grand Lodge of that Territory. Thus the lodges of France held of the Grand Lodge of England, until the formation of a Grand Lodge of France, and the Grand Lodges of both England, Scotland, and France, granted warrants to various lodges in America, until after the Revolution, when the States began to organize Grand Lodges for themselves. For the pur- pose of avoiding collision and unfriendly feeling, it has become the settled usage, that when a Grand Lodge has been legally organized in a State, all the lodges within its limits must sur- render the charters which they have received from foreign bodies, aud accept new ones from the recently established Grand Lodge.
JUSTICE. One of the four cardinal virtues, the practice of which is inculcated in the first degree. The Mason who re- members how emphatically he has been charged to preserve an upright position in all his dealings with mankind, should never fail to act justly to himself, to his brethren, and to the world. This is the corner-stone on which alone he can expect " to erect a superstructure alike honourable to himself and to the fraternity."
K.
KADOSH. This is the name of a very important degree in many of the rites of masonry. The word is Hebrew, and sig- nifies holy, consecrated, separated, and is intended to denote the
KAS 237
elevated character of the degree and the sublimity of the truths which distinguish it and its possessors from the other degrees . Pluche says that in the East, a person preferred to honours bore a sceptre, and sometimes a plate of gold on the forehead, called a Kadosh* to apprise the people that the bearer of this mark or rod was a public person who possessed the privilege of entering into hostile camps without the fear of losing his personal liberty.
The degree of Kadosh, though found in many of the rites and in various countries, seems, in all of them, to have been more or less connected with the Knights Templars. In some of the rites it was placed at the head of the list, and was then dignified as the " ne plus ultra" of masonry.
It was sometimes given as a separate order or rite within itself, and then it was divided into the three degrees of Illus- trious Knight of the Temple, Knight of the Black Eagle, and Grand Elect.
Oliver enumerates six degrees of Kadosh : the Knight Kadosh ; Kadosh of the Chapter of Clermont ; Philosophical Kadosh • Kadosh Prince of Death ; and Kadosh of the Ancient and Accepted Scotch rite.
Ragon speaks of a Kadosh which is said to have been esta- blished at Jerusalem in 1118, but I imagine that this can be no other than the order of Knights Templars.
Of these degrees, we need pay little attention to any except that of the Ancient and Accepted Scotch rite, the most important of the few that continue to be worked. See Knight of Kadosh.
KASSIDEANS. (Heb. chasidim, pious.') The Kassideans or Assideans, (though the etymology of the word indicates that the former is the better spelling,) are described in the 1st Book of Maccabees ii. 42, as "mighty men of Israel, such as were voluntarily devoted unto the law," They were a fraternity emi- nently pious and charitable, who devoted themselves particularly to repairing the Temple and keeping it in order. They were,
* Whence probably is derived the Caduceus of Mercury.
238 KEY
therefore, not only content to pay the usual tribute, but charged themselves with greater expense on that account. Their usual oatn was " by the temple/' This sect arose either during the captivity, or soon after the restoration. Scaliger contends that they were the source whence, in after times, sprung the Essenes, that body whose close connection with the Freemasons has been so much insisted on by certain writers. Hence Lawrie infers their relationship to the architects who built the house of the Lord for Solomon, and calls them " Knights of the Temple of Jerusalem." They were, in fact, the conservators of masonry among the Jews, and deposited it with their successors, the Essenians, who brought it down beyond the times of Christ.
KEY. The key was anciently an emblem of power, and as such has been adopted as the jewel of the Treasurer in a Blue lodge, because he has the purse under his command. The key is also a symbol of silence and circumspection, and as such has been adopted as one of the emblems of the Royal Arch Tracing Board. " The key," says Dr. Oliver, " is one of the most im- portant symbols of Freemasonry. It bears the appearance of a common metal instrument, confined to the performance of one simple act. But the well instructed brother beholds in it the symbol which teaches him to keep a tongue of good report, and to abstain from the debasing vices of slander and defamation."*
KEY OF MASONRY. See Knight of the Sun.
KElr-STONE. That stone placed in the centre of an arch which preserves the others in their places, and secures firmness and stability to the arch. As it was formerly the custom of operative masons to place a peculiar mark on each stone of a building to designate the workman by whom it had been ad- justed, so the Key-Stone was most likely to receive the most prominent mark, that of the superintendent of the structure.
* Historical Landmarks, I. 180.
KIL 239
Such is related to have occurred to that Key-Stone which plays so important a part in the legend of the Royal Arch degree.
The objection has sometimes been made, that the arch was unknown to the times of Solomon. But this objection has been completely laid at rest by the researches of antiquaries and travellers within a few years past. Wilkinson discovered arches with regular key-stones in the doorways of the tombs of Thebes, the construction of which he traced to the year 1540, B. C, or 460 years before the building of the Temple of Solomon. And Dr. Clark asserts that the Cycoplean gallery of Tyrius exhibits lancet-shaped arches almost as old as the times of Abraham. In fact, at the era of the building of the Temple, the construction of the arch was a secret, which was, however, known to the Dionysian Artificers, many of whom were present and engaged in the works of the Temple, and of which society we have else- where said that there was every reason to believe that Hiram Abif was a member.
KILWINNING. As the city of York claims to be the birthplace of masonry in England, the obscure little village of Kilwinning is entitled to the same honour with respect to the origin of the order in tho sister kingdom of Scotland. A place, in itself small and wholly undistinguishable in the political, the literary, or the commercial annals of its country, has become of great importance in the estimation of the masonic antiquary from its intimate connection with the history of the institution.
The abbey of Kilwinning is situated in the bailiwick of Cun- ningham, about three miles north of the royal burgh of Irving, near the Irish Sea. The abbey was founded in the year 11-10, by Hugh Morville, Constable of Scotland, and dedicated to St. Winning, being intended for a company of monks of the Tyro- nesian order, who had been brought from Kelso. The edifice must have been constructed at great expense, and with much magnificence, since it is said to have occupied several acres of ground in if s whole extent.
240 KIL
Laurie says, that, by authentic documents as well as by other collateral arguments which amount almost to a demonstration, the existence of the Kilwinning lodge has been traced back as far as the end of the fifteenth century, But we know that the body of architects who perambulated the continent of Europe, under the name of " Travelling Freemasons," flourished at a much earlier period; and we learn, also, from Laurie himself, that several of these Masons travelled into Scotland, about the beginning of the twelfth century.* Hence, we have every reason to suppose that these men were the architects who con- structed the abbey at Kilwinning, and who first established the institution of Freemasonry in Scotland. If such be the fact, we must place the origin of the first lodge in that kingdom at an earlier date, by three centuries, than that claimed for it by Laurie, which would bring it much nearer, in point of time, to the great Masonic Assembly, convened in the year 926, by Prince Edwin, at York, in England.
There is some collateral evidence to sustain the probability of this early commencement of masonry in Scotland. It is very generally admitted that the Royal Order of Herodem was founded by King Robert Bruce, at Kilwinning. Thory, in the "Acta Latamorum," gives the following chronicle: "Robert Bruce, King of Scotland, under the title of Robert L, created the order of St. Andrew of Chardon, after the battle of Ban- nockburn, which was fought on the 24th of June, 1314. To this order was afterward united that of Herodem, for the sake of the Scotch Masons, who formed a part of the thirty thousand troops with whom he had fought an army of one hundred thou- sand Englishmen. King Robert reserved the title of Grand Master to himself and his successors forever, and founded the Royal Grand Lodge of Herodem at Kilwinning.
Dr. Oliver says that " the Ptoyal Order of Herodem had formerly its chief seat at Kilwinning ; and there is every reason
* History of Freemasonry, p. 89.
KIL 241
to think that it and St. John's masonry were then governed by the same Grand Lodge."
In 1820, there was published, at Paris, a record which states that in 1286, James, Lord Stewart, received the Earls of Glou- cester and Ulster into his lodge at Kilwinning, which goes to prove that a lodge was then existing and in active operation at that place.
I confess that I am disposed to give some credit to the autho- rity of these documents. They, at least, furnish the evidence that there has been a general belief among the fraternity of the antiquity of the Kilwinning Lodge. Those, however, whose faith is of a more hesitating character, will find the most satisfactory testimonies of the existence of that lodge in the beginning of the fifteenth century. At that period, when James II. was on the throne, the Barons of Roslin, as hereditary Grand Masters of Scotland, held their annual meetings at Kilwinning, and the lodge at that place granted warrants of constitution for the for- mation of subordinate lodges in other parts of the kingdom. The lodges thus formed, in token of their respect for, and sub- mission to, the mother lodge, whence they derived their existence, affixed the word Kilwinning to their own distinctive name, many instances of which are still to be found on the register of the Grand Lodge of Scotland — such as Cannongate Kilwinning, Greenock Kilwinning, Cumberland Kilwinning, &c.
But, in process of time, this Grand Lodge at Kilwinning ceased to retain its supremacy, and finally its very existence. As in the case of the sister kingdom, where the Grand Lodge was removed from York, the birthplace of English masonry, to Londou, so in Scotland, the supreme seat of the order was at length transferred from Kilwinning to the metropolis; and hence, in the document entitled the " Charter of Cologne," which purports to have been written in 15o5, we find, in a list of nineteen Grand Lodges in Europe, that that of Scotland is mentioned as sitting at Ediuburg, under the Grand Mastership of John Bruce. In 1743, the Lodge of Kilwinning, although uni
21
242 KIN
versally admitted to have been the cradle of Scottish masonry, was compelled to content itseif with the second number on the register of the Grand Lodge, in consequence of its records having been destroyed by fire, while the lodge of St. Mary's Chapel, having been more fortunate in preserving its archives as far back as the year 1598, received the first number and the pre- cedence among the lodges of Scotland.
Here terminates the connection of Kilwinning as a place of any importance with Scottish masonry. A lodge long continued to exist there, and may probably still remain ; but its honours and dignities consist only in the recollections of its venerable origin, and in the union of its name with many of the most opu- lent and respectable lodges of Scotland. As for the abbey, the stupendous fabric which was executed by the Freemasons who first migrated into Scotland, its history, like that of the lodge which they founded, is one of decline and decay. In 1560 it was in a great measure demolished by Alexander, Earl of Glen- oairne, in obedience to an order from the States of Scotland, in the exercise of their usurped authority during the imprisonment of Mary Stuart. A few years afterward, a part of the abbey chapel was repaired and converted into the parish church, and was used as such until about the year 1775, whrn, in conse- quence of its ruinous and dangerous state, it was pulled down and an elegant church erected, in the modern style. In 1789, so much of the ancient abbey remained as to enable Grose, the antiquary, to take a sketch of the ruins ; but now, not a vestige of the building is to be found, nor can its exact site be ascertained with any precision.
KING. The second officer in a Royal Arch Chapter. He is the representative of Zerubbabel, prince or governor of Judah. When the chapter meets as a lodge of Mark, Past, or Most Excel- lent Masters, the King acts as Senior Warden. See Zcrubbabd.
After the rebuilding of the second temple, the government of the Jews was administered by the High Priests as the vice-
KNE— KNI 243
.gerents of the Kings of Persia, to whom they paid tribute. This is the reason that the High Priest is the presiding officer in a chapter, and the King only a subordinate.
KNEELING. See Genuflection.
KNIGHTHOOD, ORDERS OF. In the article on the Crusades, I have stated the impossibility of admitting that we are indebted to them for the introduction of masonry into Eu- rope, and the reason assigned was its inconsistency with historical facts. The objection, however, does not exist against the opinion that the orders of knighthood assumed the masonic character from the influence of these wars. On the contrary, we have every reason for believing that the knights who visited Palestine organized their chivalric system upon the model of the masonic institutions which existed there, and into which, we may also presume, that most of them were admitted. Upon this subject we have something more than mere conjecture to direct us, for we are informed by Adler, who wrote an account of the Associa- tion of Druses on Mount Libanus, that the Knights Templars were actually members of the Syriac fraternities.*
The oldest order of masonic knighthood is said by a writer in the Freemason's Quarterly Review, to be the Rosy Cross of Scot- land,")" and the fact that it unites the Trowel with the Sword, an union which the more modern orders have sought to avoid, is ad- duced as evidence of this antiquity. The same union of the Sword and Trowel is likewise adopted by the Knights of the East, who also claim to be the most ancient order of masonic knighthood.
KNIGHT OF THE BRAZEN SERPENT. Chevalier du
Serpent d'airain. The 25th degree in the Ancient Scotch rite.
* Adler, de Drusis Mont. Liban.
f This is not the same degree as the Rose Croix of the Ancient and Accepted rite. Fur some account of it, see the word Heredom in :his Lexicon.
244 KNI
The history of this degree is founded upon the circumstances re- lated in numbers, ch. xxi. ver. 6-9 : " And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people ; and much people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned; for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee : pray unto the Lord that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said unto Moses, make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole : and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole ; and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived." The hangings of the lodge are red and blue. A transparency, representing the Burning Bush with the Incommu- nicable name in the centre, is placed over the throne. A conical mount, elevated on five steps, is placed in the centre of the room. The lodge has but one light. It is named the Court of Sinai. The presiding officer is styled " Most Powerful Grand Master," and represents Moses ; the Wardens are called " Ministers," and represent Aaron and Joshua; the Orator is styled "Pontiff," and the Secretary " Grand Graver." The candidate is called " A Traveller." The jewel is a serpent entwined around a tau cross, standing upon a triangle, with the inscription HliT- It is suspended from a white ribbon.
The knights say that this degree was founded in the time of the Crusades, by John Ralph, who established the order in the Holy Land as a military and monastic society, and gave it the name of the Brazen Serpent, because it was a part of their obli- gation to receive and gratuitously nurse sick travellers, to protect them against the attacks of the Saracens, and escort them safely to Palestine ; thus alluding to the healing and saving virtues of the Brazen Serpent among the Israelites in the wilderness.
KNIGHT OF THE AMERICAN EAGLE. A side degree,
KNI 245
of a military character, which was invented, I think, in Texas or some of the Western States.
KNIGHT OF THE CHRISTIAN MARK, AND GUARD OF THE CONCLAVE. The first degree in a Council of the Trinity. This order is said to nave been organized by Pope Alexander for the defence of his person, and to have been origi- nally selected from the most worthy Knights of St. John of Jerusalem. Their ceremonies are founded on certain passages in the Books of Ezekiel and Jeremiah. The officers are an Invin- cible Knight, Senior and Junior Knight, six Grand Ministers, Recorder, Treasurer, Conductor, and Guard. The jewel is a triangular plate of gold, with the letter G within a five-pointed star engraved on one side, and seven eyes on the other. The motto of the order is, " Christus regnat, vincit, triumphat. Rex regnantium, Dominus dominantium." Christ reigns, conquers and triumphs. King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
The degree is given in New- York Commanderies of Knights Templar, after the Knight of Malta.
KNIGHT OF CONSTANTINOPLE, A side degree, insti- tuted, doubtless, by some Lecturer, teaching, however, an excel- lent moral lesson of humility. Its history has no connection whatever with masonry. The degree is not very extensively diffused, but several Masons, especially in the Western States, are in possession of it. It may be conferred by any Master Mason on another, although the proper performance of the cere- monies requires the assistance of several. When the degree is formally conferred, the body is called a Council, and consists of the following officers : Illustrious Sovereign, Chief of the Arti- zans, Seneschal, Conductor, Prefect of the Palace, and Captain of the Guards.
KNIGHT OF THE EAGLE. See Rose Croix. 21*
246 KNI
KNIGHT OF THE EAST. Chevalier cT Orient The ] 5th degree in the Ancient Scotch rite. This is a very interesting degree. It is founded upon the circumstance of the assistance rendered by Darius to the Jews, who had been liberated from their captivity at Babylon, and who had been prevented after the death of Cyrus, by their enemies, from completing their purpose of rebuilding the temple. The meetings are called "Councils." The hangings of the council chamber are water-coloured, inter- spersed with red, in allusion to certain events that occurred at the river Euphrates, on the return of the Israelites from cap- tivity. It is illuminated by seventy-two lights, in memory of the seventy-two years of captivity, and also for another reason.
All the Knights are decorated with a green watered ribbon from the right shoulder to the left hip, a wooden bridge being painted on the front of it, with the letters Y and H upon it. It is also painted over with the heads and limbs of bodies newly slain. The apron is lined with red, and bordered with green, having three heaps of triangular chains painted on it, and on the flap a bloody head between two swords in saltire. The officers are : 1, Cyrus or Sovereign • 2, Nehemias or Grand Keeper of the Seals; 3, Sathrabuzanes or Grand General; 4, Mithridatea or Grand Treasurer; 5, Siclrus or Minister of State. The Knights of the East afterwards, in Palestine, assumed the name of Knights of the Red Cross, under which name a degree is now given, as preparatory to that of Knight Templar.
Scripture and the traditions of the order furnish us with many interesting facts in relation to this degree. The Knights of the East are said to derive their origin from the captivity of the Israelites in Babylon. After seventy-two years of servitude, they were restored to liberty by Cyrus, king of Persia, through the intercession of Zerubbabel, a prince of the trile of Jiulah, and Nehemias, a holy man of a distinguished family.
Cyrus then permitted the Jews to return to Jerusalem, for the purpose of rebuilding the temple, and he caused all the holy ves-
KNI 0^17
sels and ornaments which had been carried away at its destruc- tion by Nebuzaraclan, to be restored to them.
He entrusted the command of the returning captives to Ze- rubbabel, and issued an edict for their free passage from Syria to Jerusalem. Zerubbabel then assembled the Israelites, to the number of 42,860, exclusive of slaves and servants, and having armed those Masons who had escaped the fury of the enemy at the destruction of the old temple, amounting to 7000, he placed them at the head of the people to light such as should oppose their return to Judea. The march was prosperous as far as the banks of the Euphrates, where Zerubbabel first found armed troops to oppose their passage. A battle now ensued, and all the enemy, to a man, were either drowned in the river or cut to pieces at the passage of the bridge.
After a march of four months, the Israelites arrived at Jeru- salem on the 22d of June. Seven days after they began to lay out the work of the new temple. The workmen were divided, as at the building of the old temple, into classes, over which a chief with two assistants presided; every degree of each class was paid according to its rank, and each class had its distinctive modes of recognition.
The works had scarcely been begun, before the workmen were disturbed by the persecutions of the neighbouring Samaritans, who, influenced by envy, were determined to oppose the recon- struction of the edifice. ' But Zerubbabel ordered, as a measure of precaution, that the Masons should work with a sword in one hand and a trowel in the other, that they might be able at any moment to defend themselves from the attacks of their enemies.
This second temple occupied forty-six years in its construction, having been begun in the reign of Cyrus and completed in that of Artaxerxes. It was consecrated in the same manner as Solo- mon had consecrated the first. From the Masons who constructed it, and who were created Knights of the East by Cyrus, the present order of knights claim their descent.
The degree of Knights of the East constitutes the 6th degree
248 • KNI
of the French rite. It does not differ in essentials from the same degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scotch rite.
KNIGHT OF THE EAST AND WEST. Chevalier cV On. ent et a" Occident. The 17th degree in the Ancient Scotch rite, called a Council This is a degree of chivalry, unconnected by its history with Freemasonry. The knights assert, that upon their return from the Holy Land, in the age of the Crusaders, their ancestors organized this order; and that, in the year 1118, the first knights, to the number of eleven, took their vows of secrecy, friendship and discretion, between the hands of Garinus, patriarch and prince of Jerusalem. The presiding officer is called Most Powerful; the Wardens and twenty-one knights, Worship- ful Ancients ; and the rest of the brethren, Worshipful Knights.
The jewel is a heptagon of silver, at each angle a star of gold, and one of these letters B. D. W. P. H. C. S. ; in the centre is inscribed a lamb on a book with seven ^eals. On the reverse of the jewel are the same letters, but the device is a two-edged sword between the scales of a balance.
The apron is white, lined with red, and inscribed with a two- edged sword.
KNIGHT OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE. This order was instituted by St. Helena, the mother of Constantino the Great, in 302, after she had visited Jerusalem, and, according to the traditions of the Roman Church, discovered the true cross. In 304, the order was confirmed by Pope Marcellinus. During the times of the Christian Kings of Jerusalem, the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre were eminent for their courage and fidelity. Upon the loss of the Holy Land, they took refuge in Perugia, and were afterwards incorporated with the Knights of Rhodes Curzon, in his " Visits to Monasteries in the Levant," states that the order is still conferred in Jerusalem, but only on Roman Catholics of noble birth, by the Reverendissimo or Superior of the Franciscans, and that the accolade, or blow of knighthood,
KNI 249
is bestowed with the sword of Godfrey de JBouiLon, which is pre- served, with his spurs, in the sacristy of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The degree was formerly given in Councils of the Trinity, next after the Knight of the Christian Mark and in New- York Encampments of Knights Templar. The presiding officer is called " Right Reverend Prelate."
The council chamber is decorated with black ornaments; the altar is covered with black, and has three lights, a crucifix, and skull and cross bones.
KNIGHT, OF K H. Grand Elected Knight of Kadosh
Grand elu Chevalier Kadosch. The 29th degree in the Ancient Scotch rite. This degree is intimately connected with the ancient order of the Knights Templar, a history of whose destruction, by the united efforts of Philip, King of France, and Pope Clement V. forms a part of the instructions given to the candidate. The dress of the knights is black, as an emblem of mourning for the extinction of the Knights Templar, and the death of Jacques de Molay, their last Grand Master. They wear a red cross suspended by a black ribbon from the left shoulder to the right side. The presiding officer is styled Most Illustrious Grand Commander.
KNIGHT OF THE LILIES OF THE VALLEY. This was a degree conferred by the Grand Orient of France as an ap- pendage to Templarism. The Knights Templar who received it were constituted Knights Commanders.
KNIGHT OF MALTA. The Knights of St. John of Je- rusalem, or Hospitallers of St. John, afterwards called Knights of Rhodes, and finally Knights of Malta, were founded about the commencement of the Crusades, as a military and religious order. [n 10-18, some pious merchants from Amalfi, in the kingdom of Naples, built a church and monastery at Jerusalem, which thev dedicated to St. John the Almoner. The monks were hence called Brothers of St. John, or Hospitallers, and it was their duty
250 KNI
to assist those, sick and needy pilgrims whom a spirit of piety had led to the Holy Land. They assumed the black habit of the hermits of St. Augustine, distinguished only by a white cross of eight points on the left breast. They rapidly increased in num- bers and in wealth, and at the beginning of the twelfth century, were organized as a military order by Raymond du Puy, who added to their original vows of chastity, obedience, and poverty, the obligation of defending the church against infidels. Raymond then devided them into three classes : Knights, who alone bore arms ; Chaplains, who were regular ecclesiastics ; and Servitors, who attended to the sick. After long and bloody contests with the Turks and Saracens, they were finally driven from Palestine in the year 1191. Upon this, they attacked and conquered Cy- prus, which, however, they lost after eighteen years occupation ; they then established themselves at the Island of Rhodes, under the Grand Mastership of Fulk de Villaret, and assumed the title of Knights of Rhodes. On the 15th of December, 1442, after a tranquil occupation of this island for more than two hundred years, they were finally ejected from all their possessions by the sultan, Soliman the Second. After this disaster, they successively retired to Castro, Messina, and Rome, until the Emperor Charles V., in 1530, bestowed upon them the Island of Malta, upon the condition of their defending it from the depredations of the Turks, and the corsairs of Barbary, and of restoring it to Naples, should they ever succeed in recovering Rhodes. They now took the name of Knights of Malta, by which title they have ever since been designated. Here the organization of the order was as follows : The chief of the order was called " Grand Master of the Holy Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, and Guardian of the army of Jesus Christ." He was elected for life, and resided at the city of Valette. He was addressed by foreign powers with the title of"altezza eminentissima," and enjoyed an annual revenue of about one million of guilders.* The knights were divided into
* The Grand Master's election was regulated in the following manner, wh'.-n Clark wrote his "History of Knighthood." The several seminaries named two
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eight languages, according to their respective nations. The lan- guages were those of Provence, Auvergne, France, Italy, Arragon, Germany, Castile, and England. Upon the extinction of the lan- guage of England, that of Anglo-Bavaria was substituted. The Grand Officers were also eight in number, and consisted of the chiefs of the different languages, as follows :
1. The chief of the language of Provence was Grand Commander.
2. " " Auvergne " Marshal.
3. " " France " Hospitaller.
4. " " Italy " Grand Admiral.
5 " " Arragon " Grand Conservator.
6. " « Germany « Grand Bailiff.
7. " " Castile " Grand Chancellor.
8. " " England " Turcopolier or Captain
[General of the Cavalry.
The knights, in time of war, wore over their usual garments a scarlet surcoat,' embellished before and behind with a broad white cross of eight points. In times of peace, the dress of ceremony was a long black mantle, upon which the same cross of white linen was sowed.
In 1565, the Island of Malta was beleagured by Soliman the Second, on which occasion the knights suffered immense loss, from which they never entirely recovered. Of the eight languages, the English became extinct in the sixteenth century, those of France, Auvergne, and Provence, perished in the anarchy of the French revolution, Castile and Arragon were separated at the peace of Amiens, and the remaining two have been since abolished. The order, therefore, as respects its ancient constitution, has now ceased to exist.
In 1798, the knights chose Paul I., Emperor of Russia, as their Grand Master, who took them under his protection. Upon his death they elected Prince Carracciolo. Upon the reduction
knights each, allowing also two for the English ; those sixteen, from among themselves chose eight: those eight chose a knight, a priest, and a serving brother; and they three, out of the sixteen great crosses, elected the Grand
Muster.
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of the Island of Malta by the English in 1800, the clnef scat of the order was transferred to Catanea in Sicily, whence in 182 (> it was removed by the authority of the Pope to Ferrara. The last public reception of the order took place at Sonneburg in 1800, when Leopold, the present King of Belgium, and Prince Ernest of Hesse Philippsthal Barchfeld, with several other knights, were created.
In 1841, Ferdinand I., Emperor of Austria, issued a decree restoring the order in Italy, and endowing it with a moderate re- venue.* But the wealth, the power, and the magnificence of the order have passed away with the age and the spirit of chivalry which gave it birth.
Ancient Ceremonies of Reception. — They were simple and im- pressive. " The novice was made to understand that he was 'about to put off the old man, and to be regenerated;' and having received absolution, was required to present himself in a secular habit, without a girdle, in order to appear perfectly free on enter- ing into so sacred an engagement, and with a burning taper in his hand, representing charity. He then received the holy commu- nion, and afterwards presented himself 'most respectfully before the person who was to perforin the ceremony, and requested to be received into the company of brothers and into the holy order of the Hospital of Jerusalem.' The rules of the order, the obligations he was about to take upon himself, and the duties that would bo required of him, being explained, an open Missal was then pre- sented to him, on which he placed both of his hands, and made his profession in the following terms :
" ' I, N., do vow and promise to Almighty God, to the eternal Virgin Mary, mother of God, and to St. John the Baptist, to ren- der henceforward, by the grace of God, perfect obedience to the superior placed over me by the choice of the order, to live without personal property, and to preserve 1113- chastity.'
" Having taken his hands from the book, the brother who re-
* See Moore's Magazine for a copy of this decree.
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ceived him said as follows : 'We acknowledge you the servant of the poor and sick, and as having consecrated yourself to the ser- vice of the Church/ To which he answered : ' I acknowledge myself as such/ He then kissed the Missal and returned it to the brother who received him, in token of perfect obedience. He was then in7ested with the mantle of the order, in such a manner as that the cross fell on his left breast. A variety of other minor ceremonies followed, and the whole was concluded with a series of appropriate and solemn prayers."*
As a masonic grade, the degree of Knight of Malta is in this country communicated in a Commandery of Knights Templar, as an appendant order thereto.
KNIGHT OF THE MEDITERRANEAN PASS. This is an honorary degree, conferred only on Knights Templar as Knights of Malta. It is conferred by Inspectors of the 33d degree of the Ancient and Accepted rite, though, I suppose, it may also be conferred by Encampments of Knights Templar that are in possession of it, upon their members.
The degree is said to have been founded by the Knights of Malta, about the year 1367. In an excursion of a party of Mal- tese knights, they were attacked while crossing the river Offanto, j" in Italy, by a very superior force. Notwithstanding the disparity of numbers, the knights succeeded in obtaining a signal victory, and routed the Turks, with an immense loss, the river beiug literally stained with their blood.
As a reward of their valour, the knights who had thus distin- guished themselves were affranchised on all the Mediterranean shores; that is to say, they received permission to pass and repass, wherever and whenever it seemed to them good, and this was the
* Moore's Magazine, vol. ii, p. 133-4.
| This is the ancient Aufidius, memorable for the battle of Cannes f Might on it? banks, between Hannibal and the Romans, in which the latter were ibfeated with the loss of 45,000 men.
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origin of the degree which was instituted in commemoration of these circumstances. Such is the legend of the knigtts of this degree. It is by no means to be confounded with the side degree of the " Mediterranean Pass," conferred on Royal Arch Masons, which resembles it only in the name.
KNIGHT OF THE NINTH ARCH. Royal Arche. The 13th degree in the Ancient Scotch rite, sometimes called the " Ancient Royal Arch of Solomon." This is, without question, the most interesting and impressive of what are called the inef- fable degrees. The historical portitns of this degree are copious, and afford us much information in relation to Enoch, and the mode in which, notwithstanding the destructive influence of the deluge and the lapse of ages, he was enabled to preserve important secrets eventually to be communicated to the first possessors of this degree. Its officers are a Most Potent Grand Master, re- presenting Solomon K. of I., a Grand Warden, representing Hiram K. of T., a Grand Inspector, Grand Treasurer, and Grand Secretary.
The apron of this degree is lined with yellow, and has on it a triangle.
The jewel is a medal of gold. On one side is a representation of two people letting down a third through a square hole into arches, and round the edge these letters : " R. S. S. G. I. E. S. T. P. A. T. S. R. E , A. M. 2995." They are the initials of the
following sentence : " Regnante Sapientissimo Salamone, G
J et S Invenerunt Pretiosissimum Artificum Thesaurum,
Subter Ruinas Enoch, Anno 3Iundi 2995."
KNIGHT OF THE PELICAN. One of the titles by which the Princes of Ptose Croix are designated.
KNIGHT OF THE RED CROSS. This is strictly a masonic order of knighthood, and its history is intimately connected with the circumstances related in the Royal Arch degree. It has no
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analogy to the degrees of chivalry, dating its existence long be- fore the Crusades, or even the Christian era, as far back, indeed, as the reign of Darius, by whom it is said to have been founded. It is, however, always conferred in a Commandery of Knights Templar, and is given preparatory to communicating that degree, though there is no connection whatsoever between the two. After the death of Cyrus, the Jews, who had been released by him from their captivity, and permitted to return to Jerusalem, for the pur- pose of re-building the temple, found themselves obstructed in the undertaking by the neighbouring nations, and especially by the Samaritans. Hereupon, they sent an embassy, at the head of which was their prince Zerubbabel, to Darius the successor of Cyrus, to crave his interposition and protection. Zerubbabel, awaiting a favourable opportunity, succeeded not only in obtaining his request, but also in renewing the friendship which formerly existed between the king and himself. In commemoration of these events, Darius is said to have instituted a new order, and called it the Knights of the East. They afterwards assumed their present name from the red cross borne in their banners. The historical circumstances connected with this degree will be found in Josephus, and in the 3d and 4th chapters of the 1st book of Es- dras. It is asserted that this order has been long known in Europe, under different names, though its introduction into this country is of comparatively recent date. A council of Knights of the Red Cross is composed of the following officers : a Sovereign Master, Chancellor, Master of the Palace, Prelate, Master of Des- patches, Master of Calvary, Master of Infantry, Standard-Bearer, Sword-Bearer, Warder, and Sentinel.
KNIGHT OF THE ROYAL AXE, OR PRINCE OF LIBANUS. Royal-Eache, ou Prince du Liban. The 22d de- gree in the Ancient Scotch rite. It was instituted to record three memorable services rendered to masonry by the " mighty cedars of Lebanon," and its history furnishes some interesting
information on the subject of the Sidonian architects.
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We learn from this degree that the Sidonians were employed in cutting cedars, on Mount Libanus or Lebanon, for tire con- struction of Noah's ark. Their descendants subsequently cut cedars from the same place for the ark of the covenant; and the descendants of these were again employed in the same offices, and in the same place, in obtaining materials for building Solomon's temple. Lastly, Zerubbabel employed them in cutting the cedars of Lebanon for the use of the second temple. This celebrated nation formed colleges on Mount Libanus, and in their labours al- ways adored the Great Architect of the Universe. I have no doubt that this last sentence refers to the Druses, that secret sect of Theists, who still reside upon Mount Libanus, and in the adjacent parts of Syria and Palestine, and whose mysterious ceremonies have attracted so much of the curiosity of Eastern travellers.
Thory* says that Pierre Riel, Marquis of Beurnonville, who died in Paris in 1821, having gone to the island of Bourbon, was there elected Grand Master of all the lodges of India, in 1778, and then instituted this degree.
The apron of the Knights of the Royal Axe is white, lined and bordered with purple. On it is painted a round table, on which are laid several architectural plans. On the flap is a three-headed serpent. The jewel is a golden axe, having on the handle and blade the initials of several personages illustrious in the history of masonry
KNIGHT OF THE ROSY CROSS. See Heredom, Royal
Order of.
KNIGHTS OF ST. JOHN OF JERUSALEM. Accord- ing to a tradition of the Rose Croix, 27,000 of the descendants of the Masons who, at the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, had fled to Scotland, being desirous of uniting in the war of the Crusades, obtained permission of the Scotch monarch, and, on their arrival in Palestine, performed so many deeds of valour aa
* Chnonologie, tome i., p. 31] .
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to attract the admiration of the Knights of St. John of Jerusa- lem, wfto, as a token of their esteem, requested to be initiated into the masonic order, whence arose the connection of that body with the Freemasons.
KNIGHT OF THE SUN. Chevalier du Solid. The 28th degree of the Ancient Scotch rite, sometimes called by other names, as Prince of the Sun, Prince Adept, and Key of Ma- sonry, or Chaos Disentangled. This is a philosophical degree. Its ceremonies and lecture are employed in giving a history of all the preceding degrees, and in explaining the emblems of ma- sonry. Its great object is the inculcation of Truth. The prin- cipal officers are styled Thrice Perfect Father Adam and Brother Truth ; the other officers are named after the seven chief angels, and the brethren are called Sylphs. The jewel is a gold medal, with a sun on one side surrounded by rays, and on the reverse a globe. There is but one light in the lodge, which shines from behind a globe of water.
Ragon,* speaking of this degree, says that it is not, like many of the high degrees, a modern invention, but is of the highest antiquity, and was, in fact, the last degree of initiation, teaching, as it did, the doctrines of natural religion, which formed an es- sential part of the ancient mysteries.
KNIGHT OF THE THREE KINGS. A side degree sometimes given hy Lecturers. Its history connects it with the dedication of the -first temple, the conferrer of the degree repre- senting King Solomon. Its moral tendency appears to be the inculcation of reconciliation of grievances among Masons by friendly conference. It may be conferred by any Master Mason on another.
KNIGHT TEMPLAR. In the early ages of the Christian cburch, a holy veneration for the scenes which had been conse-
* Cours Philosophique, p. 361.
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crated by the sufferings and death of the founder of our religion, led. thousands of pious pilgrims to visit Jerusalem, for the pur- pose of effering up their devotions at the sepulchre of the Lord. To such a height did this religious enthusiasm arrive, that, in 10G4, not less than seven thousand pilgrims assembled from all parts of Europe around the tomb of Christ. At a time when the facilities of intercourse which now exist were unknown, the journey must have always been attended with difficulties and dangers, to which the youthful, the aged, and the infirm, must often have been sacrificed. But when Palestine was conquered by the Arabs, and the land of pilgrimage became infested by hordes of barbarous fanatics, inspired with the most intense ha- tred towards Christianity, these difficulties and dangers were eminently increased. The tale of the sufferings inflicted on the pilgrims by the Mussulman possessors of Jerusalem excited in Europe an enthusiastic indignation, which led to the institution of the Crusades, wars undertaken solely for the purpose of recov- ering the Holy Land from the followers of Mahomet. In 1099, the city of Jerusalem was captured by the Crusaders, the conse- quence of which was an increase in the zeal of pilgrimage, which had been gathering intensity during its long suppression by the barbarities of the Turcomans. But, although the infidels had been driven out of Jerusalem, they had not been expelled from Palestine, but they still continued to infest the lofty mountains bordering on the sea-coast, from whose inaccessible strongholds they were wont to make incursions into the roads surrounding the Holy City, and pillage every unguarded traveller.
To protect the pious pilgrims thus exposed to plunder and death, nine noble knights, who had previously distinguished themselves at the siege of Jerusalem, united in a brotherhood, and bound themselves by a solemn compact to aid one another in clearing the highways of infidels and robbers, and in protecting the pilgrim through the passes and defiles of the mountains to the Holy City.*
* The Knight Templars, by C. G. Addison, Esq., of the Inner Temple V 6, London, 1842.
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These knights called themselves the Poor Fellow Soldiers of Jesus Christ. Baldwin, King of Jerusalem, gave them, in 1118, for a dwelling, a part of the church which had been built by the Emperor Justinian within the site on which the temple of Solo- mon had been erected on Mount Moriah, and adjoining to the temple which had been built by the Caliph Omar. Thenceforth they assumed the title of " Poor Fellow Soldiers of Christ and of the temple of Solomon."* The views of the order now be- came more extensive, and they added to their profession of pro- tecting poor pilgrims, that of defending the kingdom of Jerusa- lem, and the whole Eastern church, from the attacks of infidels. Hugh de Payens was chosen by the knights their leader, under the title of the " Master of the Temple/' Their name and re- putation spread rapidly through Europe, and mauy of the nobles of the West, who had visited Palestine as pilgrims, aspired to become members of the order. In 1128, they received a rule or system of regulations from the pope, which had been drawn ex- pressly for them by St. Bernard. In the same year Hugh de Payens visited various parts of Europe, and received from dif- ferent princes and nobles many liberal donations of land and money. In England, especially, where the amount granted was large, he established a branch of the order, placing a Knight Templar at its head, as his procurator and vicegerent, with the title of Prior of the Temple. As the English domains became enlarged, this title was successively changed to that of Grand Prior, and then to that of Master of the Temple in England. At this time, the rule of St. Bernard, which had been adopted for their government, prescribed to them a dress, consisting of a white mantle, "that those," as the rule expressed it, "who have cast behind them a dark life, may know that they are to commend themselves to their creator by a pure and white life.""}" To this, Pope Eugenius some years afterwards added a red cross, as a symbol of martyrdom. Their banner was half black, half
* Pauperes Coniinilitiones Christi et Templi Salomonis. f Regula. cap xx.
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white, called Beauseant, " that is to say, in the Gall c tongue, Bien -scant, (ivdi-becoming ,) because they are fair and favourable to the friends of Christ, but black and terrible to his enemies."*
The knights, engaged in continual wars with the infidels, con- tinued to increase their reputation, and enlarge their possessions, which are esteemed by Dugdale to have produced, in 1185, the enormous annual sum of six millions sterling. But in the be- ginning of the 14th century, the avarice of Philip le Bel, and the weakness and perfidy of Clement V., conspired to give a blow to their order, from which it never recovered. Before ad- verting to that catastrophe, I shall occupy a few moments in ex- amining the organization of the order during the most prospe- rous period of its existence.
The order of the Temple, in the 12th century, was divided into three classes : knights, priests, and serving brethren. Every candidate for admission into the first class must have received the honour of knighthood in due form, and according to the laws of chivalry, and consequently the Knights Templar were all men of nuble birth. The second class, or the priests, were not origi- nally a part of the order, but by the bull of Pope Alexander, known as the bull omne datum optimum, it was ordained that they might be admitted, to enable the knights more commodi- ously to hear divine service, and to receive the sacramants. Serving brothers, like the priests, were not a part of the primi- tive institution. They owed their existence to the increasing prosperity and luxury of the order.
Over this society, thus constituted, was placed a presiding officer, with the title of Grand Master. His power, though great, was limited. He was, in war, the commander-in-chief of all the forces of the Temple. In his hands was placed the whole patronage of the order, and as the vicegerent of the pope, he was the spiritual head and bishop of all the clergy belonging to the society. He was, however, much controlled and guided
♦ James de Vitry. Hist. Hierosol.
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by the chapter, without whose consent he was never permitted to draw out or expend the money of the order.
The Grand Master resided originally at Jerusalem ; afterwards, when that city was lost, at Acre, and finally at Cyprus. His duty always required him to be in the Holy Land; he conse- quently never resided in Europe. He was elected for life from among the knights in the following manner. On the death of the Grand Master, a Grand Prior was chosen to administer the affairs of the order until a successor could be elected. When the day which had been appointed for the election arrived, the chapter usually assembled at the chief seat of the order; three or more of the most esteemed knights were then proposed, the Grand Prior collected the votes, and he who had received the greatest number was nominated to be the electing Prior. An Assistant was then associated with him in the person of another knight. These two remained all night in the chapel engaged in prayer. In the morning, they chose two others, and these four, two more, and so on until the number of twelve (that of the apostles) had been selected. The twelve then selected a chap- lain. The thirteen then proceeded to vote for a Grand Master, who was elected by a majority of the votes. When the election was completed, it was announced to the assembled brethren, and when all had promised obedience, the Prior, if the person was present, said to him, " In the name of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, we have chosen, and do choose thee, bro- ther N., to be our Master." Then, turning to the brethren, he said, " Beloved sirs and brethren, give thanks unto God, behold here our Master."*
The remaining officers were a Marshal, who was charged with the execution of the military arrangements on the field of battle. The Prior of Jerusalem, called the Grand Preceptor of the Temple, was the Treasurer of the order, and had charge of all the receipts and expenditures. The Draper had the care of the clothing department, and distributed the garments to all the
* See N. Americ. Quart. Mag. vol. vii. p. 328.
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brethren. The Standard-Bearer bore the glorious Beauseant to the field. The Turcopilar was the commander of a body of ligh- horse called Turcopoles, who were employed as skirmisheis and light cavalry. And lastly, to the Guardian of the Chapel was entrusted the care of the portable chapel, which was always car- ried by the Templars into the field.*
Each province of the order had a Grand Prior, who was in it the representative of the Grand Master; and each house was governed by a Prior or Preceptor, who commanded its knights in time of war, and presided over its chapter in peace.
The mode of reception into the order is described to have been exceedingly solemn. A novitiate was enjoined by the canons; though practically, it was in general dispensed with. The can- didate was received in a chapter assembled in the chapel of the order, all strangers being rigorously excluded. The Preceptor opened the business with an address to those present, demanding if they knew of any just cause or impediment why the candi- date should not be admitted. If no objection was made, the candidate was conducted into an adjacent chamber, where two or three of the knights, placing before his view the rigour and aus- terities of the order, demanded if he still persisted in entering it. If he persisted, he was asked if he was married or betrothed, had made a vow in any other order, if he owed more than he could pay, if he was of sound body, without any secret infirmity, and free ? If his answers proved satisfactory, they left him and returned to the chapter, and the Preceptor again asked, if any one had any thing to say against his being received. If all were silent, he asked if they were willing to receive him. On their assenting, the candidate was led in by the knights who had questioned him, and who now instructed him in the mode of asking admission. He advanced, and kneeling before the Pre- ceptor with folded hands, said, " Sir, I am come before God, and before you and the brethren ; and I pray and beseech you,
* This list is given on the authority of Addison. Other writers varj slightly in the names and number of thes« officers.
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for the sake of God, and our sweet lady, to receive me into your society and the good works of the order, as one who, all his life long, will be the servant and slave of the order." The Precep- tor then inquired of him if he had well considered all the trials and difficulties which awaited him in the order, adjured him on the Holy Evangelists to speak the truth, and then put to him the questions which had already been asked of him in the preparation room, further inquiring if he was a knight, and the son of a knight and gentlewoman, and if he was a priest. He then asked him the following questions : " Do you promise to God aDd Mary, and our dear lady, obedience, as long as you live, to the Master of the Temple, and the Prior who shall be set over you; do you promise chastity of the body; do you further pro- mise a strict compliance with the laudable customs and usages of the order now in force, and such as the Master and knights may hereafter add ; will you fight for and defend, with all }'our might, the holy land of Jerusalem, and never quit the order but with the consent of the Master and Chapter; and lastly, do you agree that you never will see a Christian unjustly deprived of his inheritance, nor be aiding in such a deed?" The answers to all these questions being in the affirmative, the Preceptor then said : " In the name of God, and of Mary, our dear lady, and in the name of St. Peter of Rome, and of our Father the Pope, and in the name of all the brethren of the TemjDle, we receive you to all the good works of the order, which have been performed from the beginning, and will be performed to the end, you, your father, your mother, and all those of your family whom you let participate therein. So you, in like manner, receive us to all the good works which you have performed and will perform. We assure you of bread and water, the poor clothing of the order, and labor and toil enow." The Preceptor then took the white mantle, with its ruddy cross, placed it about his neck and bound it fast. The Chaplain repeated the 133d Psalm : Behold how good, and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity;" and the prayer of the Holy Spirit, " Deus qui corda
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Odelium; each brother said a Pater, and the Preceptor and Chaplain kissed the candidate. He then placed himself at the feet of the Preceptor, who exhorted him to peace and charity, to chastity, obedience; humility, and piety, and so the ceremony was ended.*
But to resume the history of the order. From the time of Hugh de Payens, to that of Jacques de Molay, the Templars continued to be governed by a succession of the noblest and bravest knights of which the chivalry of Christendom could boast. They continued to increase in power, in fame and in wealth, and, what is unfortunately too often the concomitants of these qualities, in luxury and pride. In the beginning of the 14th century, the throne of France was filled by Philip the Fair, an ambitious, a vindictive, and an avaricious prince. In his celebrated controversy with Pope Boniface, the Templars had, as was usual with them, sided with the Pontiff and opposed the King; this act excited his hatred : the order was enormously wealthy; this aroused his avarice: their power interfered with his designs of political aggrandizement; and this alarmed his ambition. He, therefore, secretly concerted with Pope Clement