The History of the Holy War, Book 5 · Chapter 5 – Chapter 6
Chap. 5. The severall flittings of the Knights-Hospitallers, from Cyprus, by Rhodes, Nice, Syracuse, to Malta.
WE must now wait on the Hospitallers to their lodgings, and we have done. We left them driven from Ptolemais, and landed at Cyprus; where King Henry courteously entertained them. But a friends house is no home: Hence therefore they were conveyed to their severall Alberges in Europe.
But such active spirits could not long be idle; such running streams would not end in a standing pond. Wherefore they used all their own strength, and improved their interest with all their benefactours, to furnish out a fleet: Which done, under Fulk de Vilderet their grand Master they wonne the Island of Rhodes from the Turks eighteen yeares after Ptolemais was lost, and there seated themselves.
Besides Rhodes, they also enjoyed these five adjacent Islands, saith my Authour, Nicoria, Episcopia, Iolli, Limonia, and Sirana; places so small, that consulting with maps will not find them out: enough almost to make us think with Tertullian of Delos, that once there were such Islands, which at this day are quite vanished away.
Two hundred and fourteen yeares, to the terrour of the Turks, comfort of the Christians, and their own immortall fame, they maintained this Island, and secured the seas for the passage of Pilgrimes to Jerusalem: till at last in the yeare 1523, after six moneths siege they surrendred the citie to their own honour, and shame of other Christians who sent them no succour in season.
Yet changing their place they kept their resolution to be honourably imployed. Hence they sailed to Nice in Piemont, a citie lying opposite to Africa, from whence the Moores and Saracens much infested Christendome. Wherefore Charles Duke of Savoy bestowed that citie upon them to defend it; counting the courtesie rather done to him then by him, that they would accept it.
Afterwards, they perceived it was more needfull to stop the Turks invasions then their pillagings: They had lately wonne Buda, and (as it was thought) would quickly stride over the Adriatick sea, and have at Italie. Wherefore the Hospitallers left Nice, and planted themselves at Syracuse in Sicilie: Where they right valiantly behaved themselves in defending that countrey.
But Charles the fifth, a politick Prince, though he saw their help was usefull, yet desired not much to have them live in his own countrey. He liked their neighbourhood better then their presence, to have them rather neare then in his Kingdome. Wherefore he appointed them the Island of Malta to keep for themselves, their grand Master onelyonly paying yearly to the King of Spain a *Hospin. De orig. Mon. cap. 17. fol. 190.Falcon in acknowledgement they held it from him. Loth were the Hospitallers to leave Sicilie, that Paradise of pleasure, and went very unwillingly from it.
Malta is an Island in the mid-land-sea, seated betwixt Europe and Africa, as if it meant to escape out of both as being in neither. Here S. Paul suffered shipwrack, when the viper stung him not, but the men did, *Acts 28.4.condemning him for a murderer. And here the Hospitallers seated themselves, and are the bulwark of Christendome to this day, giving dayly evident proof of their courage. But their master-piece was in the yeare 1565, when they couragiously defended the citie of Malta besieged by Soliman: When he discharged seventie eight thousand bullets (some of them seven spans in compasse) against it, big enough not onelyonly to overthrow walls but overturn mountains; yet notwithstanding they held out valiantly five moneths, and at last forced the Turk to depart.
These Knights of Malta are at this day a good bridle to Tunis and Algiers. I am informed by a good *M• Gr. Gibs of S. Perr…t, Dorset.friend (who hath spent much yet lost no time in those parts) that these Knights are bound by vow not to flie from the Turks, though one man or one galley to foure (half which ods Hercules himself durst not venture on;) but if there be five to one, it is interpreted wisdome not cowardlinesse, to make away from them: Also if a Christian ship wherein there is a Knight of Malta take a Turkish ship, that Knight is bound by his Order first to go aboard to enter it. The grand Master of this Order hath a great command, and is highly esteemed of, insomuch that the *Cassanaeus, part. 9. considerat. 4.authour of the Catalogue of the glory of the world, beleeveth he is to take place next to absolute Kings, above all other temporall Princes, even above Kings subject to the Empire. Sure he meaneth, if they will give it him; otherwise it seemeth improper that the alms-man should take place of his benefactours. Yet the Lord Prior of the Hospitallers in England was chief Baron of the Realm, and had precedencie of all other Lords: and here his Order flourished with great pomp till their finall period; which I now come to relate.
Chap. 6. The Hospitallers in England stoutly withstand three severall assaults, which overthrew all other Religious foundations.
THe suppression of the Hospitallers in England deserveth especiall notice, because the manner thereof was different from the dissolving of other Religious houses; for manfully they stood it out to the last, in despite of severall assaults.
1. Cardinall Wolsey, by leave from the Pope, suppressed certain small houses of little value, therewithall to endow his Colledges in Oxford and Ipswich. He first shewed Religious places were mortall, which hitherto had flourished in a seeming eternitie. This leading case of Wolseys did pick the morter out of all the Abbey-walls in England, and made a breach in their strongest gate-houses, teaching covetousnesse (an apt scholar) a readie way to assault them: (For it is the dedication not the value of the thing dedicated, stampeth a character of sacrednesse upon it.) And King Henry the eighth concluded, if the Cardinall might eat up the lean Covents, he himself might feed on the fat ones, without danger of a sacrilegious surfet. True it is, Wolsey not wholly but in part alienated the lands of these pettie houses, reserving them still to the generall end of pious uses: But the King followed this pattern so farre as it was for his purpose, and neglected the rest.
2. For not long after, the *Statut. in 27o Henr. viii.Parliament granted him all Religious houses of and under the value of two hundred pounds yearly: and it was thought, that above ten thousand persons, masters and servants, lost their livelihoods by the demolishing of them. And for an introduction to the suppression of all the residue, he had a strait watch set upon them, and the Regulars therein tied to a strict and punctuall observation of their orders without any relaxation of the least libertie; insomuch that many did quickly un-nunne and disfriar themselves, whose sides formerly used to go loose, were soon galled with strait lacing.
3.Then followed the grand dissolution or judgement-day on the world of Abbeys remaining; which of what value soever were seised into the Kings hands. The Lord Cromwell, one of excellent parts but mean parentage, came from the forge to be the hammer to maul all Abbeys. Whose magnificent ruines may lesson the beholders, That it is not the firmnesse of the stone nor fastnesse of the morter maketh strong walls, but the integritie of the inhabitants. For indeed foul matters were proved against some of them, as Sodomie and much uncleannesse: Whereupon unwillingly willing, they resigned their goods and persons to the Kings merciemercy. But the Knights-Hospitallers (whose chief mansion was at St-Johns, nigh London) being Gentlemen and souldiers of ancient families and high spirits, would not be brought to present the King such puling petitions and publick recognitions of their errours as other Orders had done. They complained it was a false consequence, as farre from charitie as logick, from the induction of some particular delinquents to inferre the guiltinesse of all Religious persons. Wherefore like stout fellows they opposed any that thought to enrich themselves with their ample revenues, and stood on their own defense and justification.