An abridgement of the notable woorke of Polidore Vergile conteignyng the deuisers and firste finders out as well of artes, ministeries, feactes & ciuill ordinaunces, as of rites, and ceremonies, commo[n]ly vsed in the churche: and the originall beginnyng of the same. Co[m]pendiously gathered by Thomas Langley

The .v. Chapiter. ¶The original of sacred knightes and white secte.

WHILEST the cy∣tie of Ierusalem, a∣fore our christenmen had cōquered it in y^e yere of our lord .M.xcix. was in subiec∣cion to the Saracēs,* 1.1 the Latine christians, that liued ther tributaries, purchased a lycence to buylde nere vnto the holye sepulchre dwellyng houses, and among other they made an hospital of our lady to receyue the straunge pilgrimes, and appoincted a prouost to entertain thē This was in Siluester the fyrst hys tyme, the yere of our Lorde .ccc.xiiii. and renewed the yere of Chrst .M.ccc xcvii. in the tyme of Celestine the .iii. bishop of Rome.

After the paterne of this house was deuised a like house of virgyns in me mortal of Mari Magdalen,* 1.2 to receiue the women that resorted thether. It beganne in the .ii. Vrbanes daies, the yere of our Lorde .M.lxxxxix. Not∣withstandyng because the multitude of latine pilgrimes waxed very great they builded thre hospitals of s. Ihō Baptiste, as some saye, albeit, some

thynke it was of Iohn Eleemosina∣rius, that was the patriarke of Alex∣andria in the reigne of the emperour Phoca. This secte one Gerardus ad∣ourned with a white crosse in a black vesture: grand captain of these knigh¦tes was Ramundus,* 1.3 when Clement the .v. had the sea of Rome, about the yere of our Lorde .M.ccc.x. yet some affirme that the beginnyng of them was in the .iii. Alexanders dayes, the yere of Christ .M.c.lxxix. and they be called of y^e order of s. Iohn,* 1.4 or knigh∣tes of the Rhodes, because thei wāne the Rhodes from the Turkes, which afterwarde they lost againe in Ianu∣ary, in the yere of oure saluacion .M.CCCCC.xxiii. albeit, they dyd long defend it manfully.

The templers order was begon in Gelacius the .ii. his daies,* 1.5 in the yere of Christes incarnacion .M.C.xxviii. by Hugo Paganus, and Gaufradus de sancto Alexandro: they were na∣med templers, bycause they kept in a parte of the buyldynges neare to the temple, they kepte Barnardus rule in their liuyng. But Clement the .v. de∣posed thē partly for that they renoū∣ced

the faith, & conspired w^t the Tur∣kes, & partly forother notable crimes

The order of Tentonickes or dutch Lordes beganne in Hierusalem by a Dutche manne whose name is not knowen:* 1.6 Their office was to fight a∣gainst the enemies of Christes crosse, it began in the dayes of Clement the third, the yere of Christes incarnaci∣on .M.C.xc. Petrus Fardinandus a Spaniarde began the order of sainct Iames knightes,* 1.7 that lyued after s. Austens rule, vnder Alexander y^e .iii. and in the yere of our lord .M.c.lx.iii the same bishoppes daies.

¶Sāctius a kyng ordeyned the facti∣ons of Calatrauean knightes, which professed the rule of y^e Cisterciences.* 1.8 Of the same profession be they of the order of Iesus Christes knightes,* 1.9 whiche were instituted by Iohn the xxii. bishop of that name in Portin∣gale to resist the Saracens.

Alexandrians brotherhod of knigh¦tes in the realme of Castel,* 1.10 y^t begonne in Gregories tyme the .ix. aboute the yere of oure saluacion M.CC.xl. but who was auctor of thē is vncertaine. Iames kyng of Aragonia dyd foūd

ii. sectes of knightes, one named of s. Mari,* 1.11 de Mercede of those the office was to raunsom suche as were taken prisoners in warres against the Tur∣kes: The other sect is called Monta∣sian knightes, and they were a redde crosse, both these orders Gregory the xi. did alowe the yere of our lord .M.

* 1.12The order of Minimes or lest bre∣thren were founded by one Francis∣cus Paula a Silician after the exam∣ple of Frauncisse his Mmorites.

* 1.13The Apostolike brethren begāne in the yere of our lord .M.cclx. by the in¦stitucion of Gerardus Sagarelus in the toune named Perma in Lōbardie in the tyme of Alexander the fourth.

* 1.14The whyt sect sprong vp in the Al∣pes, & descended into Italye hauyng apriest for their captayn. But Boni∣facius perceiuyng they should do no good to his honourable estate if they continued, caused their captain to be headed at Viterbium, as attainted of some heresie, the yere of our lord .M.cccc. They wer a great nomber, & dyd no other thyng but lamēt the state of mākynd, & bewayle the sinnes of the people. Theren as of this fashion

both men & women, & were called the whit sect, because they weare whyte clothyng.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Grauekepers or sepulchre knightes.
• * 1.2

  Magdalene systers.
• * 1.3

  Ramundus.
• * 1.4

  Knightes of the Rhodes.
• * 1.5

  Templer knightes.
• * 1.6

  Duch lordes.
• * 1.7

  Knightes of sainct Iames
• * 1.8

  Calatrauean knightes.
• * 1.9

  Knightes of Iesus Christ.
• * 1.10

  Alcantarian knightes.
• * 1.11

  Knightes of sainct Mari de Mercede Mountesiās
• * 1.12

  Minimes.
• * 1.13

  Apostolike br••thren.
• * 1.14

  Whyte secte.