Page:A History of the Knights of Malta, or the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.djvu/546

512 his langue, he resigned the lieutenancy, and the council immediately proceeded to a new nomination for that office, it being a fundamental principle in the Order that its government should never be without a duly constituted head. it was considered necessary that each elector must have received a clear fourth part of the votes given. Should no candidate have gained that majority fresh ballots were held until the required qualification was attained. After the suspension of the langue of England, the three electors who were to represent it were selected in the following manner. Each of the others, in addition to its own three representatives, nominated a fourth to act for England. The twenty-one electors then assembled, and chose from amongst the seven candidates thus put forward, three who were to act for the dormant langue.

The twenty-four knights thus selected then assembled together and appointed from their number a president, who thereupon assumed the duties of the lieutenancy, the knight who had previously held the office surrendering it to him. Under his guidance the electors proceeded to name what was called the triumvirate, consisting of a knight, a chaplain, and a serving brother. These three having taken the regulated oaths were invested with the further conduct of the election, the original twenty-four electors being relieved of all further connection therewith. The triumvirate then nominated a fourth member to join them. Should they be unable to come to an agreement as to the nominee within an hour, they summoned the original twenty-four electors, and submitted the three names that they had respectively brought forward, one of whom was chosen by ballot. The fourth member took the oaths, and in concert with the original triumvirate nominated a fifth, the five a sixth, and so on until the original trio had been increased to the number of sixteen, there being no restriction as to langue. These sixteen then elected the Grand-Master, and should there be an equality of votes between two candidates, the knight of the election who was the senior member of the triumvirate had a casting vote. The nomination having been duly made, the original trio advanced towards the general body of electors, who were assembled in the nave of the church; the knight in the centre with the chaplain