ABEY I.]

ST. JOHN OF JERUSALEM.

53

thinking his horse slain—and in a few moments uprode Safadin, leading what Saladin had just alightedfrom, a beautiful Arabian in the richest housings, andthough fawn-coloured Fauvell of Cyprus and Lyardof Paris were fine steeds both, this was far finer.

‘ My brother bids me say, “ Shall the pupil continuemounted when the master is on foot? ” So sends yourMajesty this present, and begs you to accept it forthe love of him.’ And the Moslems were ordered toretreat, whence ours believed we had won a victory;but indeed, had Safadin’s advice been followed, andthe Paynim charged then, we had been hardly putto it.

“ Here was the first idea of the Order of the Garter,to which Richard afterwards gave its motto in hisFrench wars, and made it exclusively an Englishorder, from being common to all Christendom, as ittill then had been.”

A floating tradition of this had reached Ashmole;but too vague and imperfect, so he could not followit. Still he rejected the fable about Lady Salis-bury’s garter. Edward was then not a creator, buta restorer. Clearly, if Ashmole had lived to Mu-ratori’s time, he would have assented to Ricobaldusat once . 1

1 Arab. Chron., 345.—Iterum Itali. Script., ix .—Tiraboschi :Litt. Ital., iv. 287.—Ashmole : 122.