CIIIAP. III.]

ST. JOHN OF JERUSALEM.

18

others, 1 and shows what was the sentiment of thetime, and the story is here given on the officialauthority of an Indian ambassador by the grandmaster, in a letter to the King of England. 2 Thename Prester John was long an enigma. But ourancestors did no more than follow the practice ofthe time. NEthiopiai lieges omnes sunt Sacerclotes ,Liturgiam super altarem celebrantes. One of themin the eighth century was called Rex Ynnani, thatis of Nubia, whose descendants, possessing also^Ethiopia, went by the title of Pretiyunani, whichthough ill written by people who did not know thelanguage, means simply, and word for word, Kingsof Nubia ; and as to emperor, it is pretended theyreigned all over India. 3

In 1445 a chapter general was holden at

1445

Rhodes, under what seems superfluous, butdenotes the Pope’s anxious partiality, perhapsa special Papal exhortation; and that same Pontiffin that same year engaged the grand master tohold by locum-tenens, a second chapter general inSienna, removed afterwards to Rome. 4 All this

1 Ebendorfer Cliron.—Bib. Crois., iii. 202.—Makrisi: Arab.

2 Cod. Dipl. Geros., ii., Riun. cviii.—Appendix, clvi.

3 Seb. Paoli: Osservazioni, ii. 548.

4 Cod. Dipl. Geros., Giant. Vatic., ii., Eum. xvii.—Seb.Paoli: Serie, ii. 468.—Bosio: par. ii., lib. vi., anno 1445. Thelocum-tenens was not’ one, but three; the Priors of France andEngland, and the Castellan d’Emposta of Spain, Sir RobertBout.il, thirtieth English Prior.—Appendix, elviii., xxx.