"Upon the True Faith of a Christian, may God witness that I hereby vow and dedicate myself as a servant of Christ and the Poor, the first qualification of a True Knight.
I promise to be faithful and loyal to Christ and to be guided by the ideals of the Sovereign Order of St John of Jerusalem: to do everything in my power to contribute to it’s Glory, Protection, Prosperity, Support and Utility: to combat everything prejudicial to it’s well-being: never to act contrary to it’s Dignity, but to conduct myself always as a true Knight of Christ: a good Christian and a person of Honour.
Believing that Christ will grant me a special token of his favour, I therefore, in all Humility, Charity, and Respect agree to join with every sincere and Godly Christian of whatever Church, to bring about by prayer and deed the salvation of the Christian World by helping to promote a lasting Christian Unity.
I will adorn my Knighthood with true Charity, the mother and solid foundation of all virtues.
I will wear on my person the Christian Maltese Cross of eight points, to constantly remind me of my religious vow of always bearing in my heart the Cross of Jesus Christ, adorned with the virtues that attend it.
So help me God."
-Vows taken by the Knights Hospitaller.
Come, child, hear my tale. It is both a jubilant recounting of history and the rekindling of ideas, old and new.
In the year 1700, the Knights Hospitaller were ruled by Friar Ramon Perellos y Roccaful, devote Christian and lover of art.Under His Excellency Ramon I, was the Sovereign Council, elected by the Knights of the Order. Not necessarily a Republic, but not a Monarchy, the situation put the Order in a unique position. The Knights, forced into piracy and deglorified of their initial cause: to fight in Crusades, were at constant war with Barbary ships. If hope remained to reclaim the honor of the lost templars, they would have to deal with the Barbary Corsairs that had so long plagued the Mediterranean before making their next move. The taking of the Barbary Land could potentially lead to another crusade.
However, Edmundo Scarpa had other ideas. This idea was to drink. Scarpa was a soldier from birth, a bloody-minded fighter who was quick to anger.
"Aye, we're knightsh," bellowed Edmundo as he would slam his fist onto a table "Not heathen pirate ladsh"
"Those monksh have losht it! They fink they're sho shmart, but they dinnae anything! God wansh ush ta' kill the heathens!" roared Edmundo as he would jump out of his chair, revealing that he was talking to himself, the only other person in the room was a cowering servant.
Aghast, he would sift out of the room, attempting to search for the Grand Master. Once finding him, he would attempt to bow, only to fall flat down onto his face. Disheveled, he would get up, and place an official decleration of the Viceroy of Sicely into his hand, which is what he had come into Valleta for initially. It stated as follows:
Greeting, Friar. His majesty offers the suggestion of which you would invade the city of Tunis, for it is Turkish and the lands are furtile. Were you to beseige this city, his majesty offers to aid you in battle against the heathen barbarians.