Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

172 ENGLISH USES.
Crusades were over, their work was gone. Their
suppression does not belong to this period. The
Temple Church preserves what must be always a
great memory. The Knights of St. John still exist,
though not as they were originally created. To the
military and chivalrous spirit they joined the corporal
work of tending the sick. Their rule, which was exceedingly
austere, was drawn up in 1120. As long
as the Crusades lasted, * it was common for nobles to
make "a vow of crusade". This often led to their
pledging or selling their estates to the monasteries,
in order to raise money for the expedition. Their
wives wrere frequently left under the care of monastic
houses.1 The Crusades, which put one end before
all Christians, tended to produce unity of aim in
Christendom, and, in this " point of view, were sue-
cessful.
The suppression