CHAP. III.]

ST. JOHN OF JERUSALEM.

29

with a soldier’s frankness, notwithstanding his heavy-load of years: “ I neither know nor see, in truth, ofwhat we can be called culpable. If we have donewrong, we will endeavour to do what is better, andcrave pardon. This only I well know and freelyavow, that in consequence of the wars, quarrels,discords, fomented not by any fault of ours, but ofthe malignity of envious, malevolent men, our orderhas suffered great and ruinous damage; which ithas not been in our power to remedy.” Justicewas finally accorded to the excellent, though ratherpunctilious old gentleman; but the great exertionbore him down, and he caught a fever at Rome—.perhaps by coming thither at all (since some saidthe voyage and such frequent change of air, suf-ficed alone to hasten his end), and expired there in

February of 1467 ; and Avas by Pontifical

j 7 j 1467

command buried in St. Peter’s, where his

recumbent statue in basso-relievo on his grave, re-presents a long beard that reaches his girdle. 1 Atthe re-edification of the church, his gra\ r estonechanged place a little, but is still to be seen. 2Knights, and others of the order at that time inRome, being in one of the Papal ante-chambers,

1 Bosio: par. ii., lib. viii., anno 1467.— Bouhours: VieD’Aubusson, i. 44.

2 Seb. Paoli : Serie, ii. 469. Note H.—Appendix, clxiv.