CHAP. III.]

ST. JOHN OF JERUSALEM.

225

for life, and will require to be always very careful.I am at present your superior, and command you,by holy obedience, to swear to use every precau-tion not to be killed in Acre; but (as I know youuse the pen) to write the truth of what you haveseen; and is not this defence for faith and liberty ?Both as Norman and as Christian, I wish to beuseful, not only during this brief interval, but here-after by example. So believe it no blameablevanity to tell you to transmit to distant ages howClaremont fought and died, and likewise assure ourgrand master that we have all done our duty. Ithink I shall never see you again. That way nomore. I have too much to do. You, rememberyour oath.’ ”

But he said all that far more succinctly. Atsuch moments mind and lips are quicker, both ofwho hears, and who speaks. Their words arewinged, and their full meaning absorbed withrapidity, and deeply graven. But such was thesubstance of our irrevocable contract ; nor Iintend, but to be able to say I kept it, meetingin futurity. That success changed affairs , 1 andsomething similar a few hours later at St. An-thony’s Gate, where the Grand Master of the Tem-plars (who truly had been elected commander-in-1 Michaud: Hist., y. 134.

VOL. II.

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