ABEY. II.]

ST. JOHN OF JERUSALEM.

255

is no fault of yours, if you do not accept my formerone. It is now two hundred years and more thatour orders have uniformly been together, or if everat all separated not for long; and often have weshared the greatest dangers, and fought and bledside by side. Even our rivalry, as some choose tocall it, cannot but bind us close; I would haverather said emulation, for we have always had thesame cause . 1 If there be any difference in ourrule, it is very little. For me I love to think weform but one, and derive from the same stem; andbelieve you are of similar sentiments, so regret tosee you no more. Wishing well to the Teutonicsin Germany, their branching off was long beforemy time. But you and I have always beentogether, and have both spilled a little of our bloodat Acre, and known noble Beaujeu and Claremont.I will tell you, therefore, the island in my mind’seye, is Rhodes , 2 so famous in ancient ages, and thatshall become famous and opulent, and in every waya desirable residence in ours also. Now, with yourassistance, we shall take that beautiful spot andstrong, and we shall both reside there, as at Acre.'

1 Nunquam assavit fieri cavalcata contro Saracenos. Cod. Dipl.Geros., ii., Num. xv.

2 The original has only qucedam insulam, to which a commen-tator, after the event, wrote in the margin Mhodum; hut Yertothas chosen to join both; iv. 64.