Page:The Book of Orders of Knighthood and Decorations of Honour of All Nations.djvu/699

332 "May the Lord protect thee!" With this, the ceremony terminates.

The spiritual functions of the Order are managed by the chaplain of the Court, who is also an ecclesiastical member of the Order, and in that capacity wears a small seraphim cross appended to a gold chain.

No Swede can obtain this Order without already possessing either that of the 'Sword' or the 'North Star.' On receiving the 'Order of the Seraphim' he becomes a Commander of the previous Order or Orders.

The new member pays entrance fees of 200 ducats for the treasury of the Order, 25 rixthaler, stamp duties, 5 rixthaler, chancery dues, and 1 thaler and 16 skillings, for every year of his age. The annual subscription is only 8 skillings to defray the necessary expenses of the Order.

The entrance fees of foreigners go—as mentioned above— to the treasury of the Hospital of Stockholm.

No member can accept a foreign decoration without special permission from the Chapter.

In 1784, Gustavus ILI. appointed a Bishop for the Order, to supervise the ecclesiastics placed in the hospitals and schools of the Order.

At festivals, the costume of the Knights consists of a garment of white satin, after the national fashion, with black cuffs, facings, buttons and cords; of white shoes, with heels of black velvet, and with bows instead of buckles; of a round hat of black velvet, with a white ribbon and five feathers, (four white and one black), at the left side; and of a mantle of black satin and white lining, and collar, with the star of the Order (Plate 91, Tab. I. No. 1) on the left side. This latter is also embroidered, in a smaller size, upon the doublet. The cross of the Order is appended to the neck-chain, consisting of seraphim heads and patriarchal crosses (No. 3). On festival days,