302

CHAPTER II.

Sir Deodate de Gozon the magnanimous, musthave been elected before the latter days of June in1346 ; since one of the documents found by Seb.Paoli in the secrets of the Vatican, is the Papalcongratulation on his election to the grand mastery,dated the 4th of the Kalends of July, the fifth ofhis Pontificate. 1

The story of that courageous and princely Pro-vencal's choice of himself, is quite as fabulous asabout the serpent; for Clement VI. in that confi-dential paper affirms he who was grand preceptor 2hesitated whether he would accept the dignity ofgrand master unanimously offered to him, and only

1 Cod. Dipl. Geros., ii., Num. viii. Yatic. Secret.—Appen-dix, cxxxiv.

2 Bosio has Great Commander, by a slight error of the press,I suppose, or pen; and Bosio had never seen this Vatican docu-ment: par. ii., lib. iv., anno 1346.