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226 THE HISTORY OE THE ORDER OE [book i.

surprising; but that the distinguished personage 1lived so long, that he expired peaceably, that hisbody was held in great reverence, that it was trans-ported to Rhodes, 2 and thence into France, may beeasily assented to; and if it was the ancient customof the order, when possible, to elect the new grandmaster in presence of the corpse of the dead one,it was very likely that the marshal, who hadrecently gained a celebrated victory, was immedi-ately elected to the vacant dignity. Sir Raymonddu Puys, of a most noble French family—sometimescalled Florentine, from its having come originallyfrom Tuscany, or rather Lucca, 3 and himself an illus-trious knight—was then made head of the order.His own proclamation 4 and a Papal rescript,prove that was in 1121 ; 5 and, by the con-text, it was early in the January of that year. 6The proclamation itself presupposes a rule; how elseshould there be chapter—knights professed—dutiesto which they had sworn? Sworn duties imply arule. Nor would oral remission do, where there was

1 P. A. Paoli: 467.

2 Id.: 476.—Cod. Dipl. Geros., i. 330.

3 Cod. Dipl. Gros., i. 332, 335.—Bosio, par. 1, lib. i., anno 1119.

4 “I Raymond, on the blessed Lord Gerard’s death ! ” Appen-dix, Hum. x.

5 Appendix, Hum. ix.

6 P. A. Paoli : 477, and passim.