28

HISTORY OF MALTA.

bered, possessed no property attached to any particular language,but exercised their charity indifferently to all—relieving equally thewants of the hospitallers, and those of the sick and poor.

The English knights, stripped as they were of their pos-sessions, preserved all the dignities belonging to the language.Their brethren would have thought it derogatory to their ownhonour, had they endeavoured to deprive them of these advantages:indeed, so much did they respect their misfortunes, that they notonly permitted the name of the language of England to remain;but not one of the other languages would have dared to usurp thedignity of grand turcopolier, which had ever been attached to it.The pope, a long time afterwards, gave the grand-master per-mission to appoint to that post. The language of England wasconstantly represented in the council, and in the election of a grand-master; and the most ancient brother of the order was alwayspittier for that language. Two centuries afterwards, a new languagewas formed, styled the Anglo-Bavarian; the knights of St.Johnnot choosing to let sink in oblivion a name so long cherished by thereligion. Indeed, the language of England still preserved its postat the siege of Malta, where it was placed on the mole on the Burghside, assisted by those of Castille and Germany.

The English, who, before the abolition of their order byHenry, had places in the council, or were in the land or sea service,continued to act in the same capacity, and were allowed to vote atthe election of a grand-master: those, likewise, w ho, constant in thetaith of their ancestors, w r ere afterwards desirous of entering into the