Page:A History of the Knights of Malta, or the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.djvu/583

Rh drawn up at a time when religious enthusiasm and monastic austerity were at their height, dealt with this question somewhat tenderly, lie first of all strove to guard his members from temptation. “Whenever they may be in a house, or in church, or wherever else women may be present, let them mutually protect one another’s chastity. Nor let women wash either their (the brethren’s) hands or their feet, or make their beds, and so may the God that dwelleth on high watch over them in that matter. Amen.” Afterwards he deals with the sin when committed, and it will be observed that punishment is awarded not for the commission of the sin, but for the being found out. “If any of the brethren shall have fallen by the force of his evil passions into any of the, sins of the flesh, which God forbid, if he have sinned in secret, let him repent in secret, and let him impose upon himself a suitable penance; if, however, his sin shall have been discovered publicly and beyond contradiction, let him in the same place where he may have committed the sin, on the Sabbath day, after mass, when the congregation shall have left the church, be stripped in the sight of all, and let him be scourged and beaten most severely with thongs or rods by his superior, or by such other brethren as the superior shall depute to perform this duty, and then let him be expelled from our institution. Afterwards, however, if God shall have enlightened his heart, and he shall return to the Hospital, and shall confess himself to have been a guilty sinner, and a transgressor of the laws of God, and shall promise amendment, let him be again received, and a suitable penance be imposed upon him, and for a whole year let him be considered as on his probation, and during this period let the brethren observe his conduct, and afterwards let them act as seems best to them in the matter.” If such were the rules made in the first years, of the Order’s existence, wheu the monastic element greatly overpowered the, secular, we may suppose that, as time went on, more and more latitude was allowed. Composed as the fraternity was of the youth of high and noble families, not secluded, like their predecessors of the days of du Puy, from female society, but mingling with the gayest of either sex, taught to look upon military renown rather than ascetic piety as the rightful adornment of their profession, it was not