Page:A History of the Knights of Malta, or the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.djvu/443

Rh from the Roman pontiff, but under letters patent emanating from the king of England. Fourthly, those brethren holding, or hereafter promoted to commanderies within the realm of England, shall not recognize, support, or promote the jurisdiction, authority, rank, or title of the bishop of Rome. Fifthly, those brethren holding, or hereafter promoted to commanderies within the realm of England shall, after payment of the first year’s revenues into the king’s treasury, transfer those of the second year to the treasury of the Order for the general maintenance and support of the convent with the reservation of such annual tithes as the king retains to himself from all the cornmanderies within his kingdom. Lastly, that every year a chapter of the priory shall be held, in which all crimes committed by the fraternity within the realm of England shall be examined into and duly punished; and if any offending brother shall consider himself aggrieved by the sentence of the chapter, he shall appeal either to the vicar of the king, or to the conservator of the privileges of the Order of St. John duly appointed by the king.

A very cursory study of the clauses contained in this document will show both the subtlety and rapacity of those by whom it was drawn up. The fourth clause was in itself amply sufficient to prevent any member of the Roman Catholic Church from holding office or emolument within the kingdom of England; but as though the monarch feared lest the members of the Order might be possessed of consciences sufficiently elastic to take the oath, he secures for himself an ample provision from the revenues of the commanderies, payment of which would be enforced even upon the most compliant of the fraternity. Had the knights of St. John been in the habit of yielding any annual tithes or contributions to the See of Rome, it would have been but natural that the king of England, when he assiuned to himself the papal functions within his realm, should at the same time have transferred to his own treasury all such payments. This, however, had never been the case. From the earliest period of its institution, the brotherhood had been exempted by papal authority from any demand for ecclesiastical tithe or contribution, and this exemption had been continued and confirmed from time to time ever since. Henry, therefore,