CHAP. VI.J

ST. JOHN OF JERUSALEM.

199

and we formerly had a Language there, bnt now not—nor have we any reason to expect it at present;even the contrary, since France is her declaredenemy, and we have so many knights of thatnation. Still England, which is at this moment thegreatest maritime power in the world, will not per-secute, but rather aid us a little from the naturallove of aristocracy for a Like body ; and that pity forworthy people which, it is said, has almost invari-ably distinguished the English. Then I see hutone road to success, if we have the energy to takeit; I mean sailing for the antipodes, as would beone of the South Sea Islands, of which there areseveral uninhabited, according to the recent circum-navigators. We should not be in a much worsestate than our ancestors when they left Rhodes.So far off in those fair antipodal places, I dare sayno one would assault us. And better still, if wereturned to the ancient customs of our founders, andthe two first centimes of our order, on the conti-nent of Asia. Jerusalem is inland. The primitiveHospitallers knew nothing of ships. We mightestablish ourselves in some parts of Chili or Peru,which would not he ungrateful to the inhabitantsthere; particularly if we paid them some small equi-valent. Long the arms that could reach us there;even Madrid could come to no effective hostilities