CHAP. III.]
ST. JOHN OF JERUSALEM.
17
At that time, the year began in March, that is withsome, (as Seb. Paoli observes) who just then beganto count the year from the 25th of March, ab in -carnatione. 1
In 1454, a letter from the King of England tothe Venetians, implores them to be juster and kinderto the Hospitallers, who were defending the uni-versal cause of Christendom; and that, but for theHospitallers, the whole of Europe would be ruined. 2Certainly Harry VI. was not cold on the matter ; forwithin the same twelvemonth here are four other ofhis letters on the same subject. One to the emperor, 3one to the Pope, 4 one to the College of Cardinals, 5and one to the Grand Master himself, to encouragehim; 6 the three last on the same day. The Lang-strother, of whom King Henry speaks as the Hos-pital’s ambassador in England, and an Englishman,was Sir John Langstrother, Commander of
1454
Basal and Graston in England, 7 and laterBailiff of the Eagle, but eventually raised to severalof the foreign dignities in the order, and died
■ 1 Seb. Paoli: Osservazioni, ii. 548.
2
Cod. Dipl. Geros, ii.,
Num. cxii.
3
Id.,
id.
Id. cxiii.
4
Id.,
id.
Id. cxiv. Appendix, clx.
5
Id,
id.
Id. cxv.
6
Id,
id.
Id. cxvi.—Appendix, clxi.
7
Bosio : par.
ii, lib. vi.
, anno 1449.
VOL. III.
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