…A man may not take the Rose Croix unless he is a Templar, and this supports the theory of those who believe that originally the Rose Croix was the inner working of the Templars (…) If we regard the Knights Templar as one Degree we find that the Order has two, or possibly three Degrees in all. After the K.T. comes the Mediterranean Pass (…) in view of the tradition connecting the Mediterranean Pass and the Malta Degrees with the Arabs (…) “The Sea” is a phrase well known among mystics to imply certain spiritual facts (…) when we reach the Hall in which the Degree of Malta is to be worked, we pass certain emblems which we are told indicate birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension (…) the colour of the Templar robes are white with a red cross (…) but those of Malta are black, with a white cross (…) no longer a cross of suffering, but one of resplendent glory.
Quoted by H.D.F. by J.S.M. Ward
