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Mergentheim.] GERMANY, 451
§.4. Thefe Knights muft be of true old German nobility and prove their
defcent. Both /?i)?»(^/?/-catholics and Protcftants may be inverted with the
order, and the Proteftant Knighis are permitted to many. On folema
occafions the Knights wear a white mantle with a black crofs upon it, edged
with a rim of fiiver. In other refpedts their drefs is the fame with that
of other feculars, though not ornamented with the liveliefl: or gayeft
colours, and they bear a golden crofs, as before defcribed. This order has
alfo its prierts, who are fubjed: to the rules of St. Augußine.
§. 5. The feigniories and efiates, which the T^eiitonick order is ftill poflefled
of in Germany (for of them only we (l^all here fpeak) and which they obtained
partly by purchafe and partly by donation, lying contiguous, they
would form a confiderable principality. Thefe eftates confift in general of
what is properly called the mafterdom of McTgejitheim and twelve bailiwicks.
The regency at Mergenthdm confifts of a vice-ftatholder, prefi-
,
dents, houfe-commendaries and purveyors, together with a certain number
of privy, regency, fpiritual and chamber-counfellors. The bailiwicks, or
provinces here, are to this very day divided into the bailiwicks of the
Frußian and German territories. The former confift of the bailiwicks of
Aljace, Aiißria, Coblenz and Etfch ;
the latter of the bailiwicks of Franconia.
Old Bießn, IFeßphaiia, Lorrain, Heße, Saxony, Thiiringia and Utrecht.
Thefe bailiwicks are governed by provincial commendars (in Latin ftiled commendaiores
prcvinciales, or archi-comme?idatores) who are chofen out of the
counfellors, or ccnßliarii, and confirmed by the grand-mafler. Thefe, together
with the counfellors, conftitute the chapter, which is either fummoned
to Mergentheim , or fome other place, belonging to the order, and
both are pofTefled of the right of chooling a grand-mafter. In the chanceries
of the bailiwicks, befides the provincial commendars, fit alio fome
counfellors, who are Knights of the order, together with- a certain number
of bailiwick or chancery-coanfeiiors, and fecretaries and clerks of that office.
In weighty matters appeals lie from thefe chanceries to the grand-mafter.
The bailiwicks here are divided into commendaries, in Latin commendce^
which are adminiftered by commendars and again fubdivided into prefeäurates.
A houfe-commendar looks to all judicial matters, difcuffing the
fmaller and referring affairs of greater importance either to the common or
provincial-commendar, under whom he ftands-. To the four laft of the
above-mentioned bailiwicks, and their annexed commendaries, for the moft
part, all Protefl;ant Knights come ; but thefe again, as well as the Romancatholics,
are fubjedl to the grand-mafler.
§. 6. In what is properly the mafterdom here the grand-mafter exercifes.
fuch fuperiority, or fovereignty, as an immediate State of the Empire enjoys,
and is alfo inverted with fuch over the greatert part of the commendaries
of the bailiwick of Franconia. The provincial-commendars of the
bailiwicks oi Aljace and Ccblenz are immediate States of the Empire, and at
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