"POOR FELLOW-SOLDIERS OF JESUS CHRIST w 21
with a pure mind for the supreme King ". For nine years
the knights had no distinctive dress, but were content to wear
the cast-off clothing given to them by the charitable.
Although few in number, the Templars were successful in
their work as guides and protectors of the pilgrims. Two at
least <fcf the nine original members, Hugh de Payens and
Godfrey de St. Omer, were warriors of repute who had won
high praise for their conduct in the First Crusade, and all
of them had a knowledge of the country and of the wiles of
the Moslem bandits of which newcomers from the West were
naturally ignorant.
Such an Order was new to Christendom. The three vows
taken to the Patriarch were the ordinary vows that the
Church required from all who wished to serve it, but the
Templars united in themselves two functions that had
hitherto been quite distinct. They were partly religious,
partly warriors j and a fighting force sworn to the Church
had never previously been known. The ecclesiastics had
hitherto relied upon the weapons of excommunication or
interdict to discipline the seculars who disobeyed the Church
or had ordered a king or prince to provide an army for the
chastisement of anyone who defied the authority of the Holy
See. The Church had no army of its own. The servants
of Rome were forbidden to shed blood, for the Scriptures
proclaimed that he who lived by the sword should perish
by the sword. The ban was indeed often ignored, but
popular opinion condemned the churchman who fought
in battle. Some prelates indeed went into battle with
a mace and excused themselves by saying that they
merely crushed the brains of their enemies and were there-
fore guiltless of shedding blood! But while the populace
might admire a priest doughty in battle, it was generally felt
inconsistent and undignified for a prelate to bear arms, and
the Holy See had frequently forbidden the practice. The
Templars did not make any excuse for combining war with