142 THE HISTORY OF THE ORDER OF [book iv.

Sir Paul de Lascaris Castellar, Bailiff of Manosca,was born of the ancient Counts of Ventimiglia inPiedmont, originally of the imperial house of Con-stantinople. “ In his election soon appeared thevalidity of the new reform” (which Urban hadafter all effectuated—notwithstanding the knightlyoppositionists), “and deluded was the sagacitythat dictated it; ” are the words of an eminentcommander of Malta, no vulgar historian . 1

In the chapter general a few years earlier, anumber of mere boys had been admitted to thevotes by a dispense from Rome, who might eventhen have sufficient to give the grand master amajority whenever he liked; and now this newgrand master asked and obtained a similar dis-pense to raise them to the full complement of onehundred, which certainly deprived the order of itsformer freedom, that the grand master and Popemight at any time command the order’s supremetribunal, the chapter general.

The new reform was manifestly calculated toput the election of the grand master in the Pope’spower, had not He whom all things obey, decidedotherwise. Every human contrivance appeared toconcur towards the destruction of our liberties;yet matters did not proceed as intended. How1 Pozzo : par. ii., lib. i. 2.—Verona in 4to.