THE LATER RULE IN THE TEMPLE 179
clothes were made of better material, they ate with the leading
officers and were served first, and while the knights used
things in common the priests had individual glasses. It was
usual to have three sittings at table j the first was for the
knights and priests, the others for the sergeants and Turcoples$
but a knight who arrived too late for the first sitting ate at
the second or third table and was not allowed to make any
protest. The strict commandments regarding food laid down
by St. Bernard had not long survived, and the brethren fasted
only twice a week.
The early Rule had left the punishment of erring brethren
to the discretion of the Master, but in the later Rule the
penalties for the various offences are specified. Chapters,
which all the knights attended, were held weekly in the
houses of the Order. The proceedings opened with prayer
and ended with a general absolution pronounced by the
chaplain. A brother who had offended against the Rule was
expected to confess his fault and beg indulgence on his knees.
He then withdrew j the other brethren gave their vote in
order of rank, and sentence was imposed, if the fault were one
with which the chapter was competent to deal, and carried out
forthwith. One brother could charge another brother with a
fault, but the Rule enjoined that an attempt should first have
been made in private to bring the erring brother to a state of
repentance before an accusation was launched in the chapter.
The penalty for bringing a false charge was very strict, and
the chapters were always reluctant to take action against a
brother who denied his offence even if there was strong
evidence against him.
The severest penalty was expulsion from the Order. Such
was the penalty for a member who, since entering the Order,
had been guilty of simony, treachery, taking service with the
Saracens, heresy, cowardice in battle, unauthorised disclosure
of the proceedings of a chapter, or the murder of a Christian.
Only provincial chapters could impose this penalty. The