26

THE HISTORY OF THE ORDER OF [book hi.

into two. 1. Arragon including as before Cata-logue and Navarre, retaining that old dignityDraperius for their head, one of the pillars of theorder. 2. Castile, including Leon and the otherSpanish provinces, with also the kingdom of Por-tugal. “ Yet with whatever ruin we be threatened,”said one of the number, “ I should much preferseeing the Languages blotted from our laws; anddoubt extremely if dividing us into eight, insteadof seven, will result in good, but rather increase theevil. The one inn at present (which tends tospeaking one tongue and peace) may be alteredsome years hence. Who knows? Let us hopeevery change is not to be in the sense of subdivid-ing us more and more. That the chief of the newLanguage should keep the iron seal, is just andproper, since to him is to be transferred the ancient

, title of Chancellor, who seals whatever is14 : 0 ^

admitted to a place in the archives, andon whom the privilege of us all has alwaysdepended. m

On the 23rd of March, 1463, he sent a circularfor all belonging to the order to hasten to Rhodes, 2and this was corroborated by a Papal bull inFebruary of the very next year, supplicating and

1 Cod. Dipl. Geros., ii., Vum. csix.—Appendix, clxii.

2 Bosio : par. ii., lib. viii., anno 1463.