182 THE HISTORY OF THE ORDER OF [book i.

knights, or such like, who came with proper certi-ficates bearing the cross; all classes of Christians,yet but few of the lower, from the length of thejourney; and most of the middling and noble, andsome of the very highest. 1 Nothing was moretimely or simpler than the order. 2 Hospitality in-cluded the military defence of Jerusalem. Beauti-ful idea, and that argued a most holy and brightmind. Universal favour and gratitude. No sur-prise ; the chronicler cited by Paoli saw with hisown eyes what others only wrote of from hearsay,forty years (or more) later. Pope InnocentSecond in 1130, says the Hospitallers had beenused long to keep cavalry (paid by themselves) todefend the Christians both in going and coming,and to protect the Holy Sepulchre and Palestineitself, and therefore he calls on all people to con-tribute as much as they can to so useful an insti-tution, either by entering it, or by being affiliatedto it. That was written nine years from Gerard’sdeath, but as it speaks of long before, it must referto the order in its founder’s lifetime. Quite thereverse then of what is pretended. But thoseknights were rather for action than pen, and hada great deal too much to do to write, or attend to

1 It A. Paoli: 91, 100, 101.

2 Id. 102.