HISTORY OF MALTA.

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were secure; and the government of the order could neither com-mit them to prison, nor punish them in any manner whatso-ever.

The bishop also took upon himself to have a separate jurisdic-tion ; and a simple tonsure given to a Maltese made him indepen-dent of the grand-master: by which means all priests, and eventhe above-mentioned shavelings, were only amenable to justice atthe bishop’s private tribunal; which, equally with the inquisition,pronounced in all civil and criminal causes relative to these privi-leged persons; who likewise might appeal from the sentence passedby the tribunal, either to the archiepiscopal see of Palermo, or toRome. All these people wore the habit of ecclesiastics ; and it be-came, at last, difficult in Malta, to distinguish betwixt a priest andthe father of a family.

Brother Cargalla, bishop of Malta, and Cressin, the prior ofthe church, men of restless and turbulent dispositions, were the firstto raise the storm, which afterwards burst over the head of thegrand-master, their common benefactor.

The first laid claim to the privilege of making the juridical vi-sit to the hospital in the City Notable ; but the managers, whoacknowledged no other authority than that of the grand-master, re-fused him entrance; upon which they were excommunicated by thebishops. They were supported in this act by the clergy, w 7 ho madea collection among themselves to defray the expenses of the neces-sary steps to be taken, in order to bring the affair before the arch-bishop of Palermo. This was, however, attended by much difficulty,

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