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others. The ceremony occurred every lustrum under the superintendence of the

censors.

When the Equites had accomplished the term for which their services were required it was the established custom to lead their horses to the place where the two censors were seated in the Forum to whom they related the circumstances attending their various campaigns, and under whom they served; they were then discharged either with honour or disgrace as their conduct was approved or considered disgraceful.

It is generally admitted that it is by no means correct to suppose that all the Roman soldiers mounted on horses were knights. Sigonius, and others, made a distinction in the cavalry between those who served equo publico, and those who served equo privato; the former" says Kennet, "they allow to have been of the order of knights, the latter not. They demonstrate from the course of history, that from the beginning of the Roman state till the time of Marius, no other horse entered the legions but the true and proper knights, except in the midst of public confusion, when order and dis. cipline were neglected."

Like all other institutions this order began to degenerate, the life and soul of honour which supported it died and faded away, leaving a mere shadow of its pristine importance, indolence and avarice tempted individuals from the pursuit of military fame to the more innocent, and, perhaps, more laudable occupations of agriculture, and to partake of the emoluments to be derived from places of trust under the govern ment; those who retained sufficient vigour of mind to consider themselves as still belonging to the order, obtained commands, and the mass of the cavalry was at length composed of foreign mercenaries. Fully sensible of the degraded state of the Equites, who wished to receive the honours due to them when deserving of honour, and a horse from their country, when that country no longer was remunerated by their services, subsequent princes deprived them of the horse, but suffered them to retain the golden ring.

KNIGHTS' service, this species of servitude was the consequence of the weakness and decay of the feodal system thoughout Europe, and was invented as a remedy. Fiefs, which had previously been held for long terms of years, were made hereditary, and the holder was compelled to afford,

without exception or a possibility of denial, as many soldiers to be maintained by the produce of the lands, as the lord proprietor was disposed to think proper, this became the tenure of knights' service; but a single soldier derived as the service of a certain portion of land was termed a knights' fee, and an estate furnishing a number of men trained for the field was said to contain an equal number of knights' fees; this system, extending in every direction, rendered each nation acting under it formidable and dangerous to the adjoining, as numerous armies might be assembled at a very short notice, and much blood spilt before reason had time to subdue sudden resentment, besides the means of oppression it afforded to men of large possessions. The armies thus assembled were commanded by the monarch, the nobles acted as officers, and all the varieties of vassals were considered and sorted as private soldiers. Exclusive of the tyranny of exacting personal service, the holders of knights' tenures were subject to all the ancient hardships of the old sys. tem, under the name of incidents, for chief aid, escheat, wardship and marriage, and they were compelled to bind themselves to their oppressor by oaths of homage and fealty.

It is supposed that knights' service had been universally established in Europe by the year 987; if so, there cannot be the least doubt that it was introduced into England by William of Normandy obtaining the absolute right of disposing of the territory of the conquered chiefs of this country; the obvious policy of the monarch was the distribution of it to those persons who had adopted his fortunes; and in what way could he more firmly bind them to his future support than by compelling them to furnish men by the prevailing tenure?

Pursuing this policy, the old tenants received fresh grauts, and were thus secured by the subtle king from attempting to wrest his conquests from him; indeed it has been asserted, that the system was generally approved, as but few of the AngloSaxon fiefs were hereditary. The knights were bound to appear completely armed with a lance, sword, shield and helmet, and well mounted at the shortest notice from their superiors, and to remain in the field forty days at the expence of the chiefs of their fees. At length similar causes to those which have been mentioned to have actuated the Roman equites, induced the English

knights to commute their personal services for fines, and hence arose the system of

taxation.

An act of parliament was passed in the reign of Edward II. which required all persons possessed of 201. per annum to appear and receive the honour of knighthood from the king. This cause and others operated to produce such numbers of knights throughout Europe, that it became necessary to invent different orders of knighthood, to render some of the members at least of importance in the estimation of the community.

Charles I. strangely infatuated and mistaken in his conduct, adopted the obsolete practice of his ancient predecessors, and issued " a warrant to the sheriffs in 1626, to summons all persons that had for three years past held 401. per annum, or more, of lands or revenues in their own hands, or the hands of feoffees, and are not yet knights, to come before his majesty by the thirty-first of January, to receive the order of knighthood."

January 28, 1630, the king issued a commission to the Lord Keeper, Lord High Treasurer, &c. to compound with those who had made themselves liable to forfeiture, by neglecting to receive knight hood, according to act of parliament; alluding to the act of Edward II. This commission, absurd and oppressive beyond modern conception or endurance, produced above one hundred thousand pounds to the royal treasury, but did the king infinite injury in the opinion of his subjects, who had long considered the statutum de Mili, tibus a nullity, and which was afterwards repealed by parliament. Charles rather alarmed at the general expression of ab. horrence excited by his conduct, published "a proclamation for the ease of his subjects, in making their compositions for not receiving the order of knighthood accord ing to law, dated in the preceding July;" this however was nothing more than an attempt to soften the displeasure of the public, and failed of its effect. The ancient ceremony of making a knight consisted of giving the party a blow on the ear, and striking him on the shoulder with a naked sword, after which he had a sword girded round him, and spurs attached to his heels, and being otherwise completely armed as a knight, he was conducted in solemn procession to hear the offices of religion.

Since the above period knighthood has

been considered a proper method of rewarding persons who have rendered slight services to the state, but the very frequent opportunities afforded of conferring the honour, has operated in producing the little estimation in which it is held, and from which there is no present prospect of its recovering. The observations just made must rot at the same time be supposed to apply to the more honourable orders which have already been noticed under the article of Knights of the Bath, and Knights of the Garter, exclusive of the numerous foreign orders, which have existed, and do still exist, in different parts of Europe.

KNIGHTS' templars. This order has been suppressed for many centuries, but as they were once considered a very powerful body, and had large possessions in England, of which the extensive and valuable domain, still known by the name of the Temple, in London, was a part, a slight sketch of their history appears to be necessary.

The order was instituted in the year 1118, for the actual defence of the places rendered sacred by the residence and acts of Jesus Christ, in the city of Jerusalem and its neighbourhood; and the house which they occupied, being purposely situated near the temple there, they acquired the name of Templars; and, from the same cause, their principal mansions throughout Europe were called temples. The Council of Troyes confirmed and established them in the rule of St. Bernard, in the year 1127, and the brethren were divided into two classes, knights, and servitors. Saladine having invaded and conquered the territories they had bound themselves to protect, they were compelled to leave the Holy Land, and to establish the order where they found a kind reception, which was almost in every part of the world then under the influence of the Christian religion, as they had double claims on the pious, proceeding from their peculiar profession and sufferings for the cause of the Saviour. During the period they depended upon the alms and bounty of the public, they were distinguished for their meck and meritorious conduct, which operated so greatly in their favour, that gifts flowed into their treasuries from the sovereign to the peasant, in every country where a house of knights' templars existed. Matthew Paris asserts, the order possessed 9,000 rich convents; and other writers add, that they had 16,000 lordships, with subordinate

governors distributed in every part of Eu rope.

Under these prosperous circumstances, they became inflated by pride, and insolence usurped the place of meekness: relying upon their presumed consequence, they did not attempt to conciliate where they had offended; nor did they seem to suspect the hatred they had generated, till it was too late to resist or retract; such is the general tenor of the accounts given of the conduct of the knights templars by historians; but although those may be founded in fact, it is not to be supposed, that pride alone caused the dissolution of the order; avarice, on the part of their oppressors, was the grand agent, and the riches of the knights the temptation to plunder them. Some of the members resident in Paris, were indiscreet or wicked enough to cause a riot in the streets of that city, Philip the Fair, then on the throne of France, seizing on this opportunity, determined to make use of it to accomplish the total ruin of the order; he therefore procured the evidence of many infamous brethren, either by bribery or other means, who charged the knights generally with the most shocking enormities: acting upon this base testimony, the king ordered the arrest of every templar in his dominions, abolished the order, and even caused fifty-seven of them to be burned to death: the Pope, influenced by the same spirit of injustice, and probably invited to partake of the plunder, called a general council at Vienna, by which the order was laid under an interdict.

Philip immediately communicated his proceedings to our monarch, Edward II., who returned an answer, dated October 30, 1307, in which he expressed great astonishment at the accounts received of the abominable heresy of the Templars, and declared his intention of obtaining further in formation through the Seneschal of Agen. Clement directed a brief to Edward, dated the 50th of November following, explaining the conduct of Philip, and asserting, that the Grand Master had confessed, that the knights, at their admission into the order, denied the divinity of Jesus Christ, spit upon the crucifix, and worshipped an idol in their chapters; adding other charges which appear equally wicked and incredible; but calculated to exculpate Philip, whose example the holy father recommended Edward to imitate in his own dominions. Edward seems to have acted, on this delicate occasion, with some degree of wisdom VOL. IV.

and resolution; but he was deficient in that firm spirit which governed Henry VIII; this is proved by a circular letter from him, directed to the Kings of Castille, Arragon, Portugal, and Sicily, dated December 4th, 1307; and another to the Pope, in each of which he expressed his disbelief of the ac cusations against the Templars, and men tioned a priest who had endeavoured to confirm them to him, but ineffectually, as he was convinced the public agreed with himself in approving their manners and conduct; and yet, such is the weakness and instability of human nature, this very king was prevailed upon to issue an order, addressed to the sheriffs, for the apprehending of every Templar in the kingdom, upon the feast of the Epiphany, 1308.

The Pope, fearful of the wavering disposition of the Monarch, sent another brief into England, repeating all the old charges, and producing others, which he addressed to the Archbishop of Canterbury, and his suffragans, at the same time, informing them, he had appointed three cardinals, four English bishops, and several of the French clergy, to manage the process to be instituted here against the unfortunate order.

After the arrival of the commissioners alluded to, Edward had the good sense and precaution to command the invariable attendance of the British part of it on every day the business was prosecuted, by a letter directed to the Bishop of Lincoln, dated September 13th, 1309: thus shewing, that had he dared to save the Templars he would have done so without hesitation; but the King and the nation were equally alarmed at the consequences of anathemas and interdicts, and were compelled to acquiesce in the dictates of the commissioners, who sentenced the knights to eternal separation, and the loss of all their territories in Great Britain. To the everlasting honour of Edward, he rejected the cruel example of the King of France, and, instead of burning the knights, he merely confined them in different monasteries, where they resided, secure and comfortable, till their death. The estates of the Knights Templars having been confiscated, the King very naturally concluded that he was entitled to them, and consequently proceeded to sell and give them away; the Papal see, however, thought otherwise, and a fresh bull arrived, demanding them for the knights of the order of St. John of Jerusa lem in England; as the same causes existed for compliance with this new mandate,

D

which induced the suppression, the property in question was conveyed to the

KNIGHTS of St. John of Jerusalem. The order of St. John originated from the establishment of an hospital at Jerusalem, in the year 1048, by certain Italian merchants, for the reception of pilgrims and travellers, which they dedicated to the Baptist. The subsequent conquest of Jerusalem, by Godfrey of Boulogne, who wrested it from the Turks, was of infinite service to the Hospital, which flourished in the same proportion with the facility thus afforded for visiting the holy city. Raymond, rector of the brethren in its then state, being of an active and military turn, formed the plan of converting them into knights, captains, and servants; he marshalled them into bands, invented banners, and led them on against the Turks, as knights of the order of St. John of Jerusalem; they fought with great bravery; but the inferiority of their numbers occasioned frequent defeats, and they were at length compelled to give up their possessions to the conqueror Saladine after a continued series of toils and misfortunes, and a constancy in the cause of religion which did them great honour, they were finally expelled from the Holy Land, in the year 1292.

The master and brethren fled to the island of Cyprus, where they employed their leisure in framing statutes for the go. vernment of the order; but recurring to their former military pursuits, they attacked Rhodes in 1308, which, with seven other islands, soon fell into their possession; they then assumed the addition of Rhodes to their previous titles, there they flourished for a very considerable length of time, and resisted the Turks with equal bravery and skill; but Sultan Soliman, having deter. mined at all events to dislodge them, he assembled an army of 300,000 men, with which he invaded the island, and, after six months incessant fatigue and excessive loss, he succeeded in expelling them. The Emperor Charles V. gave them Malta at this critical æra, to which island the knights retired in 1523. There they underwent repeated invasions from the Turks, and obtained the admiration of all nations for their invincible courage and address, in repelling their attacks. The Knights of Malta, as they were now called, might have remained for centuries to come in quiet possession of their island, had they not been disturbed by a power they had little reason to dread till very lately: their surrender of

it to the arms of France, has been the means of placing it in the possession of Eng land, and the order may be considered as almost extinct.

Jordan Brisset introduced the order into England, by founding the Priory of St. John, at Clerkenwell, where it flourished till the general dissolution of religious houses by Henry VIII. It will be sufficient to add, from Malcolm's "Londinium," "Camden says, that the priors were held equal in rank to the first barons of the realm; and their riches certainly enabled them to support their splendour of living. Such was their power and influence, that Edward III. thought it necessary, in the fortieth year of his reigu, to appoint Richard de Everton visitor of the hospitals of this order, in England and Ireland, to repress their insolence, and to enforce propriety of conduct; which appointment was repeated five years after by the same King."

KNIGHT originally signified a servant; but there is now but one instance where it is taken in that sense, and that is knight of a shire, who properly serves in parliament for such a county; but in all other instances it signifies one who bears arms; who for his virtue and martial prowess is by the King, or one having his authority, exalted above the rank of gentleman, to an higher step of dignity. They were called milites, because they formed a part of the royal army, by virtue of their feudal tenures; one condition of which was, that every one who held a knight's fee, immediately under the crown (which in the reign of Edward II. amounted to 201. per annum,) was obliged to be knighted. He was also to attend the King in his wars, or fine for his non-compliance. The execution of this prerogative, as an expedient to raise money in the reign of Charles I., gave great offence, though then warranted by law, and the recent example of Queen Elizabeth: it was, therefore, abolished by 16 Charles I. c. 20. Considerable fees accrued to the King on the performance of the ceremony. King Edward VI. and Queen Elizabeth had appointed commissioners to compound with the persons who had lands to the amount of 401. a year, and who declined the honour and expense of knighthood.

KNIGHTS banneret. These knights are only nade in the time of war. They are ranked next after the barons; and their precedence before the younger sons of viscounts was confirmed by James I. in the

tenth year of his reign. But to entitle them to this rank they must be created by the King in person in the field, under the royal banners, in time of open war; otherwise they rank after baronets.

KNIGHT service, a tenure, where several lands were held of the King, which draws after it homage and service in war, escuage, ward, marriage, &c. but is taken away by statute 12 Charles II. c. 24.

KNOT, means the divisions of the logline used at sea. These are usually seven fathoms, or forty-two feet; they ought to be fifty feet, and then as many knots as the log-line runs out in half a minute, so many miles does the ship sail in an hour, supposing her to keep going at an equal rate.

KNOTS of a rope, among seamen, are distinguished into three kinds, viz. wholeknot, that made so with the lays of a rope that it cannot slip, serving for sheets, tacks, and stoppers: bow-link knot, that so firmly made, and fastened to the cringles of the sails, that they must break or the sail split before it slips: and sheep-shank-knot, that made by shortening a rope without cutting it, which may be presently loosened, and the rope not the worse for it.

KNOWLEDGE, is defined by Mr. Locke, to be the perception of the connection and agreement, or disagreement and repugnancy of our ideas.

KNOXIA, in botany, so called from Robert Knox, a genus of the Tetrandria Monogynia class and order. Natural order of Stellatæ. Rubiacea, Jussieu. Essential character: corolla one-petalled, funnelform; seeds two, grooved; calyx one, leaflet larger. There is only one species, viz. K. zeylanica, a native of Ceylon.

KOELREUTERIA, in botany, so named in honour of Joseph Gottlieb Koelreuter, a genus of the Polygamia Monoecia class and order. Natural order of Trihilatæ. Sapindi, Jussieu. Essential character: calyx five-leaved; petals four; nectary double, four scalelets, and three glands; stamens eight, fixed to a column; germ three-sided, fixed to the same column; capsule threecelled, with two cells in each cell. There is but one species, viz. K. paullinoides; this is a tree, with an arboreous, upright, trunk, about six feet in height; branches scattered, spreading, when young having dotted glands scattered over them; buds from the axils of the leaves, resinous, cone-shaped with imbricate scales; peduncles, terminating, scattered, spreading, branched into

many pedicles; flowers panicled, three or more on each pedicle. According to L'Heritier it is a polygamous tree, and a native of China.

KOENIGIA, in botany, so named in honour of John Gerard Koenig, M. D. of Courland, who first found this plant in Iceland. It is a genus of the Triandria TrigyNatural order of Honia class and order. loraceæ. Polygoneæ, Jussieu. Essential character: calyx three-leaved; corolla none; seed one, ovate, naked. There is but one species, viz. K. islandica.

KOS, in Jewish antiquity, a measure of capacity, containing about four cubic inches: this was the cup of blessing, out of which they drank when they gave thanks after solemn meals, like that of the pass

over.

KRAMERIA, in botany, so named in liam Henry Kramer, botanists, a genus of memory of John George, Henry, and Wilthe Tetrandria Monogynia class and order. Essential character: calyx none; corolla

four-petalled; nectary upper three-parted, lower two-leaved; berry dry, echinated, one-seeded. There is but one species, viz. K. ixina, this is a shrub with lanceolate leaves; flowers alternate, in terminating racemes. It was found in South America by Loefling.

KUHNIA, in botany, so called from Adam Kuhnius, a genus of the Syngenesia Polygamia Equalis class and order. Natural order of Compositæ Discoideæ. Corymbiferæ, Jussieu. Essential character: flowers floscular; calyx imbricate, oblong, cylindrical; down plumose; receptacle naked; style deeply bifid; stigmas clubshaped; anthers distinct. There is but one species, viz. K. eupatorioides, a native of Pensylvania.

KURTUS, in natural history, a genus of fishes of the order Jugulares. Generic character: body carinated above and below, and broad; back highly elevated; gill meinbrane, with two rays. This consists, as far as it is known, of only a single species. It inhabits the seas of India, and is supposed to live on insects, shell fish, and particularly young crabs. Its length is about ten inches, and its breadth four. Its colour, on the whole body, is that of silver foil, and its back is tinged with gold, and marked on its ridge with several black spots. For a representation of the kurtus, see Pisces, Plate V. fig. 1.

KYANITE, or CYANITE, in mineralogy, a species of the talc genus: its principal

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