INTRODUCTION.

Ixvii

evidence, but was merely formed on a concentration of that“ which has descended to us upon the point.” 7

It is beyond dispute, that Garters with the Motto ©ong soit qemal g pense were worn on the habits of the King and of severalKnights at Jousts, towards the close of 1347 ; 8 and that theOrder was in existence in 1348, is shewn by the Letters Patentrelating to the Poyal Chapel at Windsor in August of thatyear, 9 and by the Prince of Wales having in November fol-lowing given “ twenty-four Garters to the Knights of theSociety of the Garter.” 1 The hypothesis of Ashmole, and thedate in the Statutes are therefore proved to be erroneous; andthe question lies between the date of 1344 and 1348.

That the Order was not instituted before 1346, is shewn, itis submitted, by the following conclusive facts. There can beno doubt, that at the time of their election, all the Members ofthe Fraternity were Knights. The Society being a KnightlyAssociation, it must obviously have consisted entirely of Knights ,to which no one unless actually a Knight, could possiblyhave belonged. In the earliest description of the Fraternityyet discovered, they were accordingly called “ Knights ofthe Society of the Garter 1 and the Statutes expressly pro-vide, that no one should be elected unless he were a Knight . 2It follows, therefore, that the period at which any one of the

7 Ibid. p. xxx. 8 Vide p. 13, and Appendix, p. vi.— viii. postea.

9 Vide p. 14, postea. 1 “ Memorials,” pp. xxxii. 385.

2 Vide pp. 26 and 137, postea. Mr. Beltz’s remark, (Memorials, p. xl.) “ that the earliestcopy of the Statutes now extant is of the reign of King Henry the Fifth, and that theStatutes of the Foundation may not have contained the condition of previous Knighthood,”is not, for the reasons stated in the text, entitled to any weight.