Maltese were paid auxiliaries of
the different "languages" of the order, and others were volunteers in
fighting for the sacredness of their homes when the Turks invaded the
island. This they did in large numbers during the last memorable siege,
but they were in no sense Knights of St. John. The order proper was
exclusively composed of Europeans, who, before admission to the first
rank of the brotherhood, were obliged to produce indisputable proofs of
nobility of birth, to a degree which varied according to the custom of
the nationality whence they came.

The Grand Masters created a certain rank of nobility among the Maltese,
which was conferred upon individuals for extraordinary considerations,
and for valuable services rendered in behalf of the order, but it is
difficult to discover the advantage of the titles thus bestowed. The
persons thus complimented were not eligible for admission to the
brotherhood, nor was any pecuniary compensation attached. Their
descendants to-day, though they are quite impoverished, are more
tenacious of these empty titles than ever before. The presumption
founded thereon is simply ludicrous to an American. The French, during
their brief sovereignty of the island, abolished by special edict all
titles, but this amounted to nothing, and was soon forgotten. As these
meaningless distinctions descend indiscriminately to all male members of
the family whose progenitor was thus endowed, the prospect is that
titled people will by and by become as plenty here as Maltese oranges,
or the "Legion of Honor" in France.

Remembering the marvelous history of the Knights and their often tragic
taking off, while we stroll through the palace-lined streets of the
capital in the still hours of the night, when the moon throws pale,
suggestive shadows across the squares and street corners presided over
by effigies of saints, one can easily imagine the ghostly, armor-clad
figure of a dead Knight, like Hamlet's father, revisiting its earthly
haunts. If these defunct soldier-monks did not leave ghosts behind them,
the power of such spirits after death must be effete. Every turn and
each surrounding in Valletta, whether in the department of arms or of
art, speaks of the vigorous doings of these many-sided knightly friars.

It was the Grand Master Jean de La Vallette, who founded the charming
capital of Malta, after his murderous but successful repulse of the
infidels in their last attempt to capture the island. Th