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THE HISTORY OE THE ORDER OF [book hi.

schism beginning in 1379, Urban died, and otherPopes too, but the schism went on and lasted fortyyears, with infinite evils to all Christendom, anddoubts and disputes among the best men. 1 Naples,Savoy, France, Arragon, Castile, taking one side,and Germany, England, Hungary, Poland, and thegreatest part of Italy, the other, Heredia resolvedon going to Europe, to endeavour to restore peace;yet, before he left Rhodes, took an oath not to giveany place or exert magisterial authority in any wayor dispose of the public property, till back on theisland, according to a statute made in the latechapter convened in his own name; and carriedseveral of the chiefs of the order with him to ob-serve his conduct, of which they could on nooccasion disapprove, for it was always in the high-est degree disinterested and eminently noble. Whatpassed in his interior, none can say; but if herather inclined to the country he was native of, andthat in which he resided so many years, it was nomarvel; and if he avoided exposure to the violenceof party, his companions never objected to thatprudence; and in retiring to Avignon and his oldfriends, he appears to have renounced politics en-tirely, and taken a resolution to keep exclusively in

1 Bosio: par. ii., lib. iii.; anno 1379.