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'It may be farther affigned, as a Reafon, whyKnights of the Bath had not that Appellation more. early attributed to thern by Hiftorians, that it wasthe ulual Cuftom, even in Records, and legal Courles<of Procedure, to denominate all Knights by thatAddition lolely, without delcending to Ipecify the1 Order, or Degree of Knighthood, whereby they wererelpe£tively dillinguillied, as I have particularly oblervcdin Reference to c Knights of the Garter ; who for leveralReigns, fuccellively, after that molt noble Inftitution,were not yet ftiled Knights of the Garter y in Patentsfroni the Crown, or Inftruments refpecfing their ownprivate Affairs. But no one will therefore pretend• to infer, in Contradi&ion to unqueltionable Facts,that there were no Knights of the Garter antecedentto the Uläge of that Title.

Though the Denomination then was not ufed, yet ifcertain Ceremonies, peculiarly appropriated to this De-gree, are mentioned by any forrner Hiftorians or Re-cords j Ceremonies, which had no relation to anyother known Degree of Knighthood, we mayjultly conclude, this determinate Degree of Knight-hood is thereby to be underltood ; as, particularly, fromthe Robes of Rudet, or brown Colour, the crimlonor Icarlet Robe, the Vigils, the Bed, the Bed-ticking,the Matrace, the Canvas, the Sheets, the Oblation of

c Introduü. to the Regifler of the Garter, p- 5.

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