HOSPITALERS. 249 HOTBED. HOSPITALERS (OF. hospitalier, from >IL. hospilaluriua, from hospitale, hospital, inn, from Lat. hospitalis, relating to a guest, from hospes, guest) . Charitable brotherhoods, founded at vari- ous times and in diflTerent countries, for the care of the sick in hospitals. The vow to devote one's self to this work of mercy is usually superadded to the ordinary vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, commanded by Saint Augustine. One of the earliest recorded instances of such a brotherhood is the Order of Madonna della Scala, in Italy in the ninth century. Tlie Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem (q.v. ), as also the Teu- tonic Knights (q.v.), were originally hospitalers. There are many other local institutes or congre- gations having various names and living under various rules. HOSPITAL SHIP. A siip designed to take care of the sick and wounded either as a floating hospital or as a transport hospital. The second Geneva Convention in 1868 provided that hos- pital ships, merchantmen (i.e. unarmed ships not used for any military or naval purpose), having woimded on board, and boats picking up wounded or wrecked men, shall be neutral. They are re- quired to fly the red cross flag and their men must wear the red cross armlet. Government hospital ships are required to be painted white with a bro.ad longitudinal green stripe on each side extending from bow to stern: hospital ships belonging to aid societies to be similarly painted, but the stripe is to be red. Both varieties of ships must flv the red cross flag as well as their national ensign, and no arms of any sort are to be allowed on board. Any evidence amounting to presumption that the enemy is violating the rules of the convention and using the ships for im- proper purposes constitutes sufficient ground for refusing the further granting of immunity until the contrary is proved. HOSPITAL StrWDAY. In the United SUtes, the last Sunday of December; in England, the Sunday nearest .Tune loth, on which days the collections in the churches are devoted to the sup- port of hospitals. The custom has been generally adopted since 1873. HOS'PODAR (Upper Serbian, master, lord). A title formerly given to the governors of Mol- davia and Wallachia. Hospodar (ijospodar. gos- pod, gospodin, in the various Slav languages) means simply 'master.' The hospodar held his power at the pleasure of the Sultan, who made a practice of farming out the office to the highest bidder. The incimibent held his office for a short period, or else secured reappointment by repeated gifts. The Lithuanian princes were likewise called hospodars. and the Polish kings, down to the time of Sobieski. assumed that title in their diplomatic negotiations with Russia. Gostidnr (ruler, monarch) is even now one of the titles of the Emperor of Russia. HOST. See Loed's Suppeb. HOSTAGE (OP. hostage, ostage, Ft. otage, It. ostaggio, from Lat. obsidatus, state of being a hostage, from ohses, OLat. opses. hostage, from obsidcre. to remain, from ob, at + sidcre, to sit; influenced in popular etymology by Lat. /io.s- iin) . A person or thing given in pledge for the performance of conditions. When a town capitu- lates, victors and vanquished usually give into the custody, one of the other, several officers, as pledges that each party will duly carry out the terms stipulated. When the terms are fulfilled the hostages are exchanged ; but if the terms be evaded the opposite side holds the right to put to death or otherwise punish the hostages in its possession. HOSTIL'ITTS, TiXLVs. A semi-legendary King of Rome, grandson of Hostus Hostilius, the champion of Rome in the first war with the Sabines; he succeeded Numa Pompilius on the throne of Rome, B.C. C70 (according to the com- mon chronology). According to Livy and other writers, Hostilius made the famous arrangement,, by the combat of the Horatii with the Curiatii, for the decision of the question of supremacy between Rome and Alba, which was decided in favor of the former; he fought against FideniE and Veil, and conquered these cities, destroyed Alba, and removed the inhabitants to Rome, set- tling them on Mons Ctelius, and carried on war against the Sabines. He is said to have reigned to about B.C. 638. The story of the earlier Kings of Rome is mere legend, but doubtless con- tains some germs of truth, though the personality and name of TuUus Hostilius are not to be credited. HOS'TIUS. A Roman poet of the second cen- tury u.c, author of metrical annals after the manner of Ennius, and Belliim Uistricxim, a poem on the Istrian War. Fragments of the lat- ter work, quoted by Macrobius (v. i. 3, 5) and Servius (ad JEn. xii. 121). are printed in Baeh- rens, Fragmenta Poetarum Romanorum (1886). Some authorities think he is the original of the doctiis avus of Propertius (iv. 20, 8). HOSTRTJP, hos'tryp, Jetjs CnBiSTi.?r (1818- 92). A Danish poet and dramatist, bom at Co- penhagen. His first comedy, iljenboerne (1843, published in 1847), was acted by his fellow stu- dents before he left the university. It was played afterwards at the Royal Theatre, and remains a favorite piece. Among his other plays, composed under the pseudonym of Kristrup, are Intrigerne (1846); En Spiii'v i Tranedands (1850); Even- it/rpaa Fodreiseii (1850); HoUaterliijer (1849); En Vat MeUetn Fjeldene ( 1852, music by Emil Hartmann), and Hester og Loerliiig (1852). From 1855, when he took orders, to 1881, he had charge of a parish. A volume of his poems, Sange og Digte. appeared in 1884, and his drama, Eva, in 1881. After this he wrote little but what was demanded by his parochial work. The last years of his life were spent at Copenhagen. His popularity is largely due to the national charac- ter of his plays, his humor without vulgarity, and the vivacity of his dialogue. His poetical writings were collected in six volumes (1852-50), and a fifth edition of his comedies was published in 1S8S-S9. HOT-AIR ENGINE. See Caix)RIC ENGI^'E. HOTBED. A bed of fermenting compost or manure covered with a layer of earth, and gener- ally surmounted by a frame, for the cultivation of plants which require more than the natural heat of the climate or season, but not so much as to render the hothouse necessarv. The heat is the result of fermentation. Hott>eds are in i-ery general use for growing plants from seed in spring, to be planted in the open ground as sum- mer advances, and for forcing vegetables and flowers. The material mostly used is horse
