Page:A History of the Knights of Malta, or the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.djvu/170

144 Villaret, of the priory to which he had been nominated. They thus learnt the lesson that by disagreement amongst themselves they were paving the way for the admission of a power which they would not easily be able to shake off, and which would be exercised without in any way consulting their interests or advantage.

Villanova was in no hurry to exchange the luxury of the papal court for the comparative banishment entailed by a residence at Rhodes, so, for a period of thirteen years, he, under one pretence or another, postponed his departure. During this interval a chapter-general was held by his mandate at Montpelier. It was on this occasion that the Order was, for the first time, divided into languages, or ”langues,” as they were termed. Many writers, in dealing with this subject, have dated back this division of the fraternity almost to its first establishment. There is certainly no trace whatever in any of the records now existing to warrant such a supposition. It is at this council that such a division appears for the first time. The Order, although originally established on its charitable basis by Italian merchants, had rapidly become principally French in its composition, and this nationality had always preponderated. The fact that the chapter-general had assembled at Montpelier added still more to the influence of the French element. We find, therefore, that whilst the number of langues was fixed at seven, no less than three of those seven were French, viz., the langues of France, Provence, and Auvergne. The other four were Italy, Germany, England, and Aragon. The dignities in the gift of the Order were at the same time attached in proper proportion to these new divisions, the leading posts, owing to the weight of French influence, being given to their three langues. The name of Sir John Builbruix appears at this chapter as the Turcopolier, or commander of the light cavalry. This dignity was from that time permanently allotted to the English langue. In addition to this grand-cross, three others were at the same time appropriated to England, viz., the bailiwick of the Eagle (an honorary distinction formerly belonging to the Templars) and the grand-priories of England and Ireland.

Many needful reforms were introduced into the regulations at this chapter. These were not made before they were urgently required; the discipline which had prevailed during the later