Page:A History of the Knights of Malta, or the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.djvu/359

Rh proxies and to guarantee their validity. That ceremony having been gone through, every one took his place in accordance with the foregoing list, and the chapter-general was declared duly open. In token of homage to its sovereign authority, each member tendered as tribute a purse containing five pieces of silver. The marshal brought into the council hail the grand standard of the Order, which he surrendered into the keeping of the chapter, and the other dignitaries in succession also delivered up the symbols of their various offices. These were not returned until the assembly had passed a fresh grant for that purpose. Another committee of three members, each of a separate langue, was also nominated to receive petitions, and to organize the questions to be brought before the chapter.

In order to expedite the business, for the despatch of which they had been convened, a committee of sixteen commanders was selected, two from each langue. It was felt that in so large an assembly discussion would have been most inconveniently protracted. To this committee, therefore, the real working powers were entirely delegated. They were sworn to legislate honestly and fearlessly for the public weal, and the remaining members, including the Grand-Master, also took an oath binding themselves to abide by the decisions and decrees of the committee. The vice-chancellor, the secretary of the treasury, and the Grand-Master’s legal adviser, all took part in its meetings and debates, but had no vote, that privilege being reserved exclusively to the sixteen members nominated by the chapter.

The statutes laid down what should be the general order of the business to be transacted by the committee. They were, first, to examine into the incidence and pressure of the various imposts decreed by previous chapters, and to make such alterations and revisions as the state of the revenue and the exigencies of the treasury might render possible or advisable. They were afterwards to look strictly into the management of the treasury, and satisfy themselves of the correctness of its administration. The records were then to be passed in review, after which they were to proceed to reform any abuses that had crept in, and to pass such new laws as they might consider necessary, abrogating all existing statutes which