176 THE HISTORY OF THE ORDER OF

[book IV.

have refrained from copying his bad. To palliate theirdegeneracy is not to defend, hut sorrowfully avow itin some degree. If the facts which remain to cite donot prove greater weakness than has been common toalmost the whole of Europe, I am better pleased to beaccused of severity, than of partiality to those whodo not need my favour, nor that of any one. Hereas everywhere, plain truth is the best, and enables onepatiently to unravel many Gordian knots. This usageof having domestic slaves produced familiarity, andfamiliarity blindness; which, under the cloak of com-passion, was in truth an error that, like all vices,brought its own punishment with it; for the resultwas a horrible conspiracy, whose accidental disco-very alone prevented the grand master’s throat beingcut in the middle of his sleep, and that of everyknight in Malta, by the very persons whom eachrelied on the most, and who were entrusted withthe key of the bed room. Ho doubt some of theconspirators were really attached to their masters,who were remarkable, perhaps without exception,for their kindness towards their domestics; but even1742 S0 ’ none them resisted to the threats that

assuredly were used there, as well as in dthersecret societies. But for a mere casualty, the multi-tude of atrocious murders would have been com-mitted. It is said those villains amounted to four

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