122

THE HISTORY OF THE ORDER OF [book II.

length, it is that Sir Gawen Montacute had takena great part in the whole Egyptian war, and if heonly sent his Hospitallers with the emperor toJerusalem, and did not go himself, he had a mostvalid excuse in his age and wounds. But he ex-pired towards the close of 1231; for we

1231 r ’

have two deeds in each of which he is named

reigning in October of that year. 1 And he wassucceeded by Sir Bernard de Texis of whomthere is no document extant, which agrees withhis reign being only of a few months; but not withten years and various other borrowed plumes givenhim by Vertot; since Sir Bernard was succeeded by

Sir Girino, early in 1232, at least: to whom

1232 J

are to be ascribed all the fine things that

regard the order and its grand masters from 1231to May, 1236. 2 For a deed of the Queen of Cyprusin October of 1232 shows Girino was thenGrand Master. 3 Nor were there hostile partiesenough in that miserable land; but the MogulTartars were approaching, having left the bleaknorthern deserts to the spirits of their ancestors, andfrom some unlettered instinct or wild tradition, that

1 Cod. Dipl. Geros.—Hum. cxiii, cxiv.—Appendix, lxiv.

2 Seb. Paoli: i. 341.

8 Cod. Dipl. Geros. i.—Hum., ccxv.—Appendix, xcii.