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HISTOEY

KNIGHTS OF MALTA.

VOL. L

LONDOS
PBINTED BY SPOTTIBWOO-DE AND CO.
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A
HISTORY
OP THE
KNIGHTS OF MALTA
OE THE
OEDEE OF THE HOSPITAL
OF
ST. JOHN OF JEEUSALEM

BY
MAJOR WHITWORTH PORTER
EOTAL ENGINEEUS
\ \ /

I

7B0 7IDE POUB LA. FOI
IN TWO VOLUMES
VOL. I
PALESTINE — RHODES

LONDON
LONGMAN, BEOWN, GEEEN, LONGMANS, & EOBEETS
1858

PREFACE.

Of all the acquisitions made by Great Britain during
the course of that lengthened struggle by which the
present century was ushered in, and which ended in
the overthrow of the French Empire, and the temporary
re-establishment of the Bourbon dynasty, none was es
teemed of greater importance, both politically and
commercially, than the island of Malta. To a nation
already possessed of an undoubted naval supremacy,
and holding, in the fortress of Gibraltar, the key of the
Mediterranean, it wanted but this one point more to
render its position in those waters utterly and com
pletely unassailable.
Malta has, therefore, always been considered a most
important and valued appanage to the British Crown,
and its . due security has been carefully and jealously
guarded. Still, until within the last few years, com
paratively but little was known of the island by the
great bulk of the population of England. True, they
all had been taught that it was a powerful insular
A 3

VI PREFACE.
fortress in the centre of the Mediterranean, half way
between Sicily and the north coast of Africa, and that,
prior to its passing under the sway of England, it had
been the home, for upwards of two centuries, of a military
community, called " The Knights of Malta." Some,
perhaps, had even heard of its siege as a struggle
reflecting great renown on the garrison of the island,
and as one of the most protracted and heroic defences
made throughout the sixteenth century. But beyond
this point little was generally either known or cared for.
Latterly, however, a very diiFerent feeling has arisen,
and circumstances have brought the island far more
prominently before the British public. The first step
in this direction was taken when Queen Adelaide was,
by her physicians, ordered to pass a winter there, that
she might avail herself of the mildness of its climate
during that season. The example thus set in so illus
trious a quarter was immediately followed, and from
that time Malta has every winter become the resort of
a great and continually increasing number of invalids
and others attracted thither by its genial climate.
From this cause a personal interest in its previous
history, and in that of the Order who had raised it from
a mere barren rock into its present proud position, be
came created in the minds of many who would otherwise
have cared little or nothing about the matter.
The number of those who have thus been thrown into
direct contact with the island has, however, received
its greatest and most important accession from the late
Russian war. Situated half way between Gibraltar and
Constantinople, Malta naturally became a central dep6t,

PREFACE. VII
wherein vast stores of material, as well as troops, were
concentrated, and which was visited by every one,
either going to or returning from the scene of strife.
Any one who can call to mind the comparatively tran
quil condition of the harbour and island generally,
previous to that event, and then compare it with the
busy scene presented to his eyes in the midst of the war,
must have been struck with the giant strides that had
been made during a few months in commercial import
ance ; nor has the subsequent peace brought with it
such a diminution of stir and bustle as might have been
anticipated. The harbours are still crowded with ship
ping, steamers, both English and French, call almost
daily at the island, and a general aspect of thriving
industry and progress mark that Malta is destined for
the future to hold commercially a very prominent posi
tion in the Mediterranean.
A demand having thus arisen for more detailed infor
mation relative to the previous history of the Order of
Malta, it has been made a subject of much complaint
that such information is very difficult to obtain. The
only book in the English language, bearing any pre
tensions to the title of a popular history of the Order,
is Sutherland's " Knights of Malta," published in Con
stable's " Miscellany." Now this book, which is, after
all, but little else than an abridged translation of the
voluminous quartos of Vertot, contains no details of
aught but the political and public career of the Knights.
On their internal organisation and social history he is
perfectly silent, and yet that is the point on which
general interest is more particularly excited.
A 4

via PREFACE.
Of late years, a work has also been published by the
Chevalier Taafe, himself a member of the Order; but
his book contains the same grave omission, and is, more
over, couched in such obscure and foreign English, as to
be almost unavailable to the general reader. The only
other English work bearing on the subject, with which
I am acquainted, is the history of Malta, written by Bois-
gelin, who, as well as Taafe, was a Knight of St. John.
This book, which is most valuable in its way, only
takes up the subject from the commencement of the
sixteenth century, leaving the three preceding and most
important centuries of the career of the Order quite
untouched. Under these circumstances, and having myself expe
rienced the difficulty which exists in obtaining, in a
popular form, such information concerning the Order of
St. John as is generally sought for, I have endeavoured,
in the following work, to supply that deficiency, and to
collect together, in a readable form, such details as I
have gathered, after wading through an enormous mass
of reading, from amidst the ponderous tomes of the
public library of Malta, and its still more valuable
Record Office, where papers and manuscripts of the
deepest interest exist in countless profusion.
Whilst following out a general history of the Order
from its first establishment in Palestine, in the close of
the eleventh century, to the present day, I have endea
voured to intersperse the narrative with such details of
their private and social habits and customs as I deemed
might prove most acceptable to the general reader, and

PREFACE. IX
which I feel well assured have never hitherto been
made public.
In this labour I have received much and most valu
able assistance. From His Excellency Sir William Reid,
the governor of Malta, I have received that support and
encouragement which his general desire for the pro
motion of literature and science was sure to have
secured to me. To Dr. Luigi Vella, the courteous and
zealous superintendent of the Record Office, my warmest
thanks are due. Deeply versed, himself, in all the mul
tifarious mass of reading there presented to view, he
has invariably, in the most cordial manner, assisted my
researches, by drawing my attention to such documents
as he knew bore most directly on the subject upon
which I sought information. To Dr. Cesare Vassalo,
librarian of the great public library of Malta, I must
also return thanks, for his zeal and kindness in the same
cause. From Mr. Watts, himself a Knight of the Order
of St. John, and from Mr. Winthrop, the American
consul at this island, both of whom have for years
made the position of the English branch of the com
munity their particular study, I have received the
greatest possible assistance. The lists of the various
dignitaries of the English language, to be found in the
22nd chapter, were all corrected and added to by the
former of these gentlemen, and the curious and interest
ing contributions of the latter to " Notes and Queries "
have been frequently consulted by me with great ad
vantage. The translations of the letters of English
monarchs to the Grand-Master, to be found in this

X PREFACE.
work, have many of them been taken from that source.
To all other friends, and they are many, who have
lent me the aid of their counsel and help in the un
dertaking, I beg here to record my grateful acknow
ledgments. I now beg to leave the result of my labours in the
hands of an intelligent public, trusting that it will meet
with clemency, if not with favour ; and not altogether
without hopes that I may have supplied a connecting
link between the histories of Europe and Asia, which
will prove interesting and valuable to the general
reader.

CONTENTS

THE EIRST VOLUME.

CHAPTEE L

Origin of Chivalry. — Condition of Palestine prior to the First Cru
sade. — Erection of the Hospital of St. John. — ^Peter the Hermit. —
Capture of Jerusalem by the Crusaders. — Foundation of the Order
of the Hospital. — ^Death of Gerard and Election of Eaymond
du Puy.— Military Constitution of the Order - - Page 1
CHAP. U.
Eegulations for the Establishment of the new Order  Admission of
Candidates — Establishment of Commanderies  Eegulatio s re
specting Dress. — D fensive Armour : Scale Mail, Chain Mail, Plate
Armour, the Helmet, the Shield. — Offensive Armour : the Lance,
the Sword, the Battle-Axe, the Dagger. — The Destrier, or War-
Horse - - - - - - - 28
CHAP. IIL
Date of the Establishment of the Military Order of St. John. — Cam
paigns of Antioch and Edessa — Foundation of the Templars and of
the Order of St. Lazarus. — Embassy of Joubert, and Marriage of
Eaymond of Poitiers. — Legacy of the King of Navarre — Loss of
Edessa. — Assassination of Zenghi. — Attempted Eecapture of
Edessa. — Second Crusade  Siege of Damascus. — Advance of the

XU CONTENTS OF
Jarroquins. — Their Eepulse and Overthrow. — Siege and Capture
of Ascalon  Jealousies of the Clergy towards the Order. — Death
of Eaymond du Puy - ... - Page 51
CHAP. IV.
Expedition into Egypt. — Death of D'Ascali. — Eise of Saladin. —
Melier, the Apostate Templar. — Murder of the Assassin Ambas
sador by Du Mesnil  Death of Baldwin HL and Accession of
Baldwin IV. the Leper. — Death of Joubert. — Dissensions in the
Kingdom of Jerusalem. — Accession of Guy de Lusignan. — Battle
of Tiberias. — Loss of Jerusalem  Its main Causes - - 80
CHAP. V.
Establishment of tlie Hospital at Mavgat. — Eetirement of the Ladies
of the Order to Europe. — The Third Crusade. — Siege and Capture
of Acre. — Guy de Lusignan made King of Cyprus. — Eeforms of
Alphonso of Portugal. — His Eesignation and Death. — Fourth Cru
sade. — Capture of Constantinople by the Latins. — Dissensions be
tween the Templars and Hospitallers. — Andrew, King of Hungary,
admitted a Knight of the Order. — Fifth Crusade. — Siege and Cap
ture of Damietta. — Advance into Egypt. — Fatal Eesults of the
Expedition. — Marriage of the Emperor Frederic with Violante. —
Treaty with the Saracens. — Coronation of Frederic at Jerusalem. —
His Eeturn to Europe, and Persecution of the Military Orders. —
Accusations brought against the Knights of St. John - 109
CHAP. VL
Eeoccupation of Jerusalem by the Christians. — Their Expulsion by
the Korasmins. — -Battle of Gaza. — Death of Villebride and Election
of Chateauneuf. — Eeforms in the Order. — Crusades of St. Louis. 
Sanguinary Combat between the Hospitallers and Templars. —
Siege of Margat. — Siege and Fall of Acre - - - 135
CHAP. VIL
Establishment of the Order in Cyprus. — Its first Naval Armaments. 
Death of John de Villiers and Election of Odon de Pins  His
Monastic Seclusion. — Dissatisfaction of the Order. — Death of Odon
de Pins. — Accession of William de Villaret. — Expedition into
Palestine. — Project for the Capture of Ehodes. — Preparations for
that Operation.— Death of William de Villaret and Accession of

THE FIRST VOLUME. XIU
Fulke de Villaret — Capture of Ehodes. — Destruction of the Order
of the Temple - . . . . Page 169
CHAP. VIII.
Villaret establishes his Order at Ehodes. — His Arrogance. — Plots
against Him. — His Flight to Lindos. — Appeals to the Pope. — His
Eesignation. — Appointment of Elyon de Villanova. — Division of
theOrder into Languages. — Deodato de Gozon and the Dragon of
Ehodes. — War against the Turks. — Capture of Smyrna. — Election
of Deodato de Gozon. — His Eesignation. — Intrigues of Heredia,
the Castellan of Emposta. — Expedition to Alexandria and Capture
of the Town. — Election of Heredia as Grand-Master. — His previous
History. — He escorts the Pope to Eome. — He joins the Expedition
to Patras. — Capture of the City. — Heredia falls into the Hands of
the Turks. — His Eansom. — Schism in the Church  Heredia re
turns to Avignon. — His Death .... 205
CHAP. IX.
The Three Divisions of the Order and their subsequent Subdivisions.
— The Proofs for Admission into the First Class. — Authority of the
Grand-Master.— :-Courts of Egard. — Bailiffs and their Lieutenants.
— Facilities of the Order in adapting itself to Localities  Eeport
of Philip de Thame. — Income and Expenditure of a Commandery.
Mansion. Garden. Columbarium. Arable, Meadow, and Pasture
Lands. Messuages and Mills. — Profits of Stock. — Impropriate
Churches  Villanage. — Eedditus Assisus. — Confraria. — Outlay for
Hospitality and Maintenance. — Wages. — Clothing.— Corrody. —
Law Charges. — Eevenue of English Property - . 250
CHAP. X.
Election of Philibert de Naillac. — Battle of Nicopolis. — Purchase of
the Morea. — Its subsequent Eestoration. — Timour the Tartar. —
His overthrow of Bajazet. — Loss of Smyrna. — Erection of the For
tress of St. Peter's.-^Treaty with the Sultan of Egypt  Conclusion
of the Papal Schism and Eeunion of the Order. — Death of Naillac
and Succession of Fluvian. — Invasion of Cyprus. — Death of
Fluvian. — Election of Laslic. — Descent on Ehodes in 1444. —
Eeforms in the Order. — Fall of Constantinople. — Election of
James de Milly  Disputes amidst the Fraternity  Succession of
Eaymond Zacosta. — Establishment of an Eighth Language 

XlV CONTENTS OF
Erection of Fort Nicholas. — Departure of Zacosta for Eome. — His
Death there — Succeeded by Orsini. — Fall of Negropont. — Prepa
rations for Defence at Ehodes. — Death of Orsini and nomination of
Peter of Aubusson ----- Page 291
CHAP. XL
The Family of D'Aubusson. — Description of Ehodes — The Three
Eenegades. — Arrival of the Turkish Army at Ehodes. — First
Attack on the Tower of St. Nicholas. — Breach opened in the Jews'
Quarter. — ^Attempted Assassination of the Grand-Master. — Second
Attack on the Tower of St. Nicholas. — Second Advance against
the Jews' Quarter. — Execution of Master George  Last Assault of
the Turks, and its Eepulse by the Knights. — Close of the Siege,
and Embarkation of the Ottoman Army - . . 333
CHAP. XII.
Eestoration of the Fortifications of Ehodes and Eecovery of the Grand-
Master. — Preparations by Mahomet for a new Siege. — His Death
and the disputed Succession to his Empire. — Defeat of Zizim and
his Flight to Ehodes. — Departure for France. — His Eesidence
there. — His Eemoval to Eome and Death. — Last Days of Peter
D'Aubusson. — His Death and Interment. — History of the Hand of
St. John the Baptist - - - . . 380
CHAP. XIIL
Election of Almerio Amboise. — Futile Descent of Canalis  Capture
of seven Turkish Galleys and of the Queen of the Seas. — Defeat
of the Turkish Fleet in the Gulf of Ajaccio. — Election and Death
of Guy de Blanchefort. — Accession of Carretto. — Usurpation of
Selim.— Conquest of Egypt by the Ottoman Sultan. — Death of
Selim and Accession of Solyman. — Siege of Belgrade. — Election of
L'Isle Adam. — Correspondence with Solyman. — Preparations for
Defence.— Detail of the Turkish Forces. — Arrival of the Hostile
Fleet at Ehodes - - - . . -413
CHAP. XIV.
The Second Siege of Ehodes. — Commencement of the Siege.  Plot
formed by a female Slave within the City. — Disposition of the
Turkish Army. — Detail of their Artillery. — Construction of
Cavaliers. — Mining Operations. — Explosion of a Mine under the

THE FIRST VOLUME. XV
Bastion of England, and subsequent Assault. — Eepeated Attacks
of the Ottomans, and their invariable Eepulse. — Accusations brought
against the Chancellor D'Amaral. — His Trial and Execution. —
Devotion and Courage of the Ehodian Women  Negotiations for
Surrender. — Terms offered by Solyman. — Acceptance of those
Terms, and Close of the Siege . - . Page 443

APPENDIX. No. 1.
Chronological List of the Grand- Masters of the Order of St. John,
distinguishing the various Nations - - - - 481
No. 2.
Genealogical Table of the Kings of Jerusalem - - 484
No. 3.
Chronological Table of the Mussulman Eulers^ traced from Ma
homet .-...-. 485
No. 4.
Original Donation of Godfrey of Bouillon to the Hospital of St. John,
(Ex Cod. papyrac. Biblioth. Vaticanae, N. 3136, page 19.) - 487
No. 5.
List of the first Members of the Order of St. John, Cotemporaries
with its Founder, Gerard, from 1099 to 1135. (From Paolo
Antonio Paoli.) - - - - - - 488
No. 6.
Bull of Pope Paschal II., confirming the Establishment of the Hospital
of St. John. (Translated from the original Latin.) - - 490
No. 7.
Bull of Pope Boniface VHL, in the Year 1300, recapitulating the
original Eule of Eaymond du Puy, lost at the Capture of Acre.
(Translated from the original Latin.) . - . 492
No. 8.
Bull of Pope Alexander IV., dated in 1259, decreeing a distinctive
Dress for the Knights of Justice. (Translated from the original
Latin.) - - - - - - - 498

XVI CONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME.
No. 9.
Letter of the Grand-Preceptor of the Temple at Jerusalem to
Henry II., King of England, concerning the Loss of Jerusalem.
(From Eoger Hovenden. Translated from the original Latin.) 500
No. 10.
Bull of Pope Alexander III., dated in 1179, re-establishing Peace be
tween the rival Houses of the Temple and Hospital. (Ex Eymer,
tom. i. page 61, ad ann. 1182, lib. ii. p. 149. Translated from the
original Latin.) ---.-- 501
No. 11.
Letter from Pope Gregory IX. to the Emperor Frederic, remonstrating
with him on his Conduct towards the Military Orders : dated in
1230. (Translated from the original Latin.) - - 504
No. 12.
Letter of Pope Gregory IX., dated in 1238, complaining of the evil
Practices of the Members of the Order of St. John - - 505
No. 13.
Letter of Peter D'Aubusson to the Emperor of Germany, containing
a Narrative of the First Siege of Ehodes. (Translated from the
original Latin.) -_..-- 506
No. 14.
The Document given by the Sultan Zizim to Peter D'Aubusson when
about to leave Ehodes - - - - - 514
No. 15.
Letter of Sir Nicholas Eoberts to the Earl of Surrey, descriptive of
the Second Siege of Ehodes. (Ex Cotton MSS. Copied from
Taafe's "Knights of St. John." This letter is much injured, and
rendered illegible in many parts.) .... 515

ILLUSTRATIONS in VOL. L
Portrait of L'Isle Adam  Frontispiece.
View of Euins of Hospital of Jerusalem . . to face page 103
Woodcut of Ehodes  » » 336

HISTOEY

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA.

CHAPTER 1.
ORIGIN OF CmVALET  CONDITION OF PALESTINE PRIOK TO THE
FIRST CRUSADE. — ERECTION OF THE HOSPITAL OF ST. JOHN. —
PETER THE HERMIT.  CAPTURE OF JERUSALEM BY THE CRUSADERS.
 FOUNDATION OF THE ORDER OF THE HOSPITAL.  DEATH OP
GERARD AND ELECTION OF RAYMOND DU PUT  MILITARY CON
STITUTION OP THE ORDER.
From the day when the battle of Arbela hurled Darius
from his throne, and sealed the fate of the proud monar
chy of Persia ; from the hour when the doomed city of
Persepolis re-echoed the fierce shouts of the Grecian
invader, the tide of civilisation, which for so many ages
had been curbed within the limits of the eastern hemi
sphere, burst its barrier, and commenced rolling west
ward. The haughty Greek, returning flushed with victory,
and laden with the spoils of the East, brought with him
also the germs of that civilisation which he had wit
nessed in the lands of his triumph. Ere long, the
VOL. I. ' B

1 A HISTORY OF
Grecian empire, already celebrated for the prowess of
its sons and the lustre of its arms, dazzled the world
also by its pre-eminence in all the gentler arts which
soften the heart and ennoble the mind. The genius of
civilisation had removed her altars from the once-
favoured lands where she had so long sojourned, and
re-erecting them on the shores of the bay of Salamis,
became worshipped by the ardent Greek with even
stronger fervour than she had excited, in the mind of
the swarthy Mede. This was the era when Grecian
architecture, revelling in forms of beauty, could point
to the noble temple of Minerva, rearing its snowy
columns into the clear blue sky, on the rocky heights of
the Acropolis, as an incontrovertible testimony and a last
ing monument of the civilisation of her people. This was
the golden age of Grecian sculpture, when the genius of
a Phidias, giving life to the inanimate marble, produced
specimens of art, such as were not only the admira
tion of his own age, but have stood unrivalled even to
the present hour. This was the triumphal epoch of
Grecian painting, when her canvas glowed with the
rival tints of a Zeuxis and a Parrhasius ; and this was
the time also when the clear ringing voice of a Demo
sthenes, awakening the surrounding echoes with his po
lished periods, marked the perfection of Grecian oratory.
Yet even here the gentle goddess was not doomed to
find a permanent resting-place. Time, the remorseless
agent of destiny, fulfilling its inevitable decree, gradu
ally crumbled away the bulwarks of Grecian freedom,
and sapped the heart's core of her intellectual superior
ity. Once again, therefore, she abandoned her home,
and, winging her flight still further westward, sought a
new shelter on the seven hills of Imperial Rome. Hence

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 6
following close upon the footsteps of the victorious
legions of her new devotees, we find her travelling on
and on towards the setting sun, until at length even the
Ultima Thule of the West acknowledged the gentle in
fluence of her sway. Such had been the original source
and onward flow of that widely spread stream of civili
sation, which, in its gradual development, advanced
even to the most western provinces of the empire ;
and under the softening influences of which the rude
asperities of savage ferocity had become mellowed and
humanised. Here, however, the limits which an all-
wise Providence had fixed for the progress of the world
appear to have been reached, and, commencing from this
point, its retrogression was even more rapid than had
been its original advance.
The mighty empire of Rome having attained the
zenith of its grandeur, and having incorporated within
its vast dominions nearly the entire of the then known
world, began gradually to decline. Falling a victim to
the weakness inseparable from its cumbrous extent, and
to the discords which preyed upon its vitals, it gave
way, step by step, before the inroads of the barbarians
who hung upon its frontiers ; until, province after pro
vince having been torn from her enfeebled grasp, the
Imperial City itself at length beheld its Capitol violated
by those wild hordes who had achieved its overthrow.
It is, however, among the circumstances attending
this overpowering irruption of barbarism, that we must
look for the first germs of that spirit of chivalry from
which the Order of St. John took its origin.
The rapid and continuous extension of the Roman
empire had created the necessity for that system of
colonisation with which they invariably followed up
E 2

4 A HISTORY OF
the conquests of their victorious generals. A new
country no sooner fell into the power of their arms
than an organised government was established, the
miniature counterpart of that which dominated over
the central city of their empire. A proconsul, or gover
nor, was nominated, under whose sway, supported by
legions of disciplined soldiery, peace and order were
rapidly re-established, and steadily maintained in the
newly acquired territory ; but few changes being made
in the occupation of the soil. A rapid though gradual
transition, facilitated materially by the advent of
numerous official dignitaries, bringing with them, to
their new homes, all the refinements and many of the
luxuries of their native city, converted the once rude
land into a smiling and prosperous province, where
the improvements and civilisation of their new masters
found a ready footing. Under the influence of this
power, the military spirit of the inhabitants was not
evoked. Rome maintained her sway, not by a local
militia, but by a standing army ; and trusted for her
victories rather to the trained movements of a well
organised soldiery, than to the spontaneous efforts of
an undisciplined peasantry, however martial their na
tive spirit might be. The theory of centralisation
pervaded every act of their government, and the con
stant communication thus created with the capital went
far to aid the progress of refinement. The conquered
population, instead of being degraded into the ranks of
slavery, were raised to the dignity of Roman citizens,
and the politic and judicious liberality with which they
were treated caused them to yield readily to the
influences, at once softening and enervating, of peace
and refinement.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 5
The case was, however, widely different with the
barbarians whose torrent of invasion subsequently
overthrew that mighty power. They had no central
seat of empire from which to draft the rulers of their
new acquisitions, they sought not a mere extension
of an existing government, a new appanage to a mon
archy already flourishing ; but, descending from their
wild homes amidst the bleak fastnesses of the north,
they found in the luxuriant plains of the south a new
empire and a more genial dwelling-place. The original
holders of the land were all dispossessed, and mostly
exterminated ; their places being occupied by the new in
truders. The leader of the irruption, secure in his
power only in so far as he consulted the interests,
and through that channel retained the affections, of his
followers, established his government upon a wholesale
system of military colonisation. There was, in such
a case, no standing army, or regular organisation dis
tinct from the occupiers of the soil, but every man
remained a soldier, at the same time that he became
a landed proprietor in the country of his adoption .
The feudal system, to which this state of things gave
rise, was but the natural result, flowing from such
premises. The leader himself became a monarch, hold
ing supreme sway within his newly acquired kingdom.
The commanders of his victorious forces became the
nobles of his empire, receiving, as a reward for their
services, and as guarantee for future attachment, large
grants of land, hampered only by the conditions of
military service in the field, whenever the necessities
of their chief demanded their assistance. These, on
the other hand, subdivided their land amongst their
inferiors, under nearly similar conditions, so that, ere
E 3

A HISTORY OF

long, the length and breadth of the soil was occupied
under a tenure purely military in its requirements. It
is not surprising, that, under such circumstances, a
martial spirit should pervade the new colonists. Mili
tary service was the only road to advancement; it
was by military service alone that they held their
possessions, and the power of the sword was thus
naturally held paramount to every other claim. Hence
arose the first pulsations of that chivalric feeling which,
in its maturer years, gave birth to the military and
religious orders of the East.
Personal prowess being considered man's proudest
ornament, and the pursuit of learning and science aban
doned to the nionk in his cloistered retreat, the pro
fession of arms was the only resource opened to the
youth of high and noble estate. Taught from child
hood to take delight in the martial exercises which
formed the daily occupation of the retainers in every
baronial castle, he imbibed at an early age that ardent
desire for distinction and renown which formed the
fundamental principle of chivalry. Imbued with the
religious veneration of the age, a veneration deeply
tinged with superstition, and strengthened by the gross
ignorance of the times, he was led to consider as sacred
the obligations imposed upon him by the chivalric
code: to combat in the defence of his religion was
deemed not only a holy duty, but, at the same time,
an inestimable privilege. He had been trained in
the belief that pardon for his sins was to be purchased
by a display of martial zeal in behalf of his faith ; and
that the shedding of his blood in this sacred cause
would insure him an entrance into the joys of heaven.
This doctrine appealed in the warmest and most direct

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 7
manner to the prevailing sentiments of the time; it
readily, therefore, found a responsive echo in every
chivalric bosom. Since the whole community of Europe
was imbued with feelings such as these, it required
but a spark to set the fabric in a blaze ; and, ere long,
there arose in the East the incentive by which that
flame was kindled.
The Byzantine er^pire had continued to hold its sway
long after its Western sister had succumbed to the
wild tribes of the North ; and, although much circum
scribed from its original colossal dimensions, yet, at the
commencement of the seventh century, the Euphrates was
still the Asiatic boundary of the empire. Her rulers,
however, either dreading the treachery of usurpers, or
being usurpers themselves, were less anxious to check
the inroads of the barbarians by whom they were sur
rounded than to secure their own position on the
tottering throne. Encompassed by enemies, both
within and without, that position was annually be
coming one of increasing difficulty, and demanded in
the monarch the presence of the highest administrative
talents, combined with the most consummate skill in
generalship, to maintain its integrity. Unfortunately
however for the empire, her rulers evinced no such
powers ; far from making head against the constant en
croachments of their neighbours, they plunged madly
into all the voluptuous degeneracy of the times, and
vainly sought to conceal their effeminate weakness, and
disgraceful cowardice, beneath the idle pomp of a
gorgeous magnificence. Under such adverse influences,
the power which had at one time been swayed over the
eastern half of Europe, and had shared the empire of
the world with its Roman sister, crumbled away by
B 4

8 A HISTORY OF
degrees, and became a mere phantom of its former
grandeur. There was, however, one province which, throughout
all the declining fortunes of the empire, commanded
the most affectionate interest and the warmest sympathy
in every corner of Europe. This was the province of
Judea, within whose limits stood the holy city of Jeru
salem. Since the death of our Saviour, the vicissitudes
of fortune, and the struggles of warfare, had caused
numerous changes within its sacred precincts. Im
mediately after the capture of the city by the Romans
under Titus, in fulfilment of the prophecies so fre
quently uttered by our Lord, the idolatrous institutions
of its new masters took the place of the Judaism which
had been driven fortb to be dispersed over the face of
the whole earth. A Pagan temple was erected upon
the site where Solomon ' ' had built him an house unto
the Lord ; " and the foul rites of a heathen worship
desecrated the land hallowed by the Passion of our
Saviour. But in the fourth century, the Christian faith, which
had been gradually winning its way throughout the
empire, became recognised as the established religion ;
and ere long Christian churches and a Christian wor
ship replaced the temple of the heathen and the rites of
Paganism. Foremost amongst these structures, dedi
cated to the services of their new religion, stood the
church of the Holy Sepulchre, erected by the Empress
Helena, the mother of the great Constantine. She had
been converted and baptised into the Christian faith at
the same time as her son ; and, with all the awakened
zeal of an enthusiastic convert, had made a personal
pilgrimage to the Holy Land, seeking amidst the scenes

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 9
of her Saviour's last home upon earth for a lively con
firmation of her new faith. To her is attributed the
discovery of the Holy Sepulchre of our Lord, and upon
its site she erected the magnificent temple Which bears
its name. Her example was followed by her son, and
ere long the numerous stately churches and convents
which they founded became the principal adornment of
the Holy Land.
Jerusalem now became the favoured object of the
world's devotion. Religious curiosity had prompted
Christians, from the earliest ages of the church, to visit
the regions sanctified by their faith, and this feeling,
increasing in strength by the growth of custom, and
supported by the influence of the entire priesthood,
reached at length to such a pitch of fervour, that a
pilgrimage to Jerusalem became recognised as the most
efficacious act of penance which the poor sinner could
perform in expiation of his guilt. Vast crowds flocked
annually from every corner in Europe to utter a prayer
on the tomb of their Saviour, and to gaze on that hal
lowed mount where he had breathed his last. The very
dust of the land was considered sacred in their eyes ;
and the pious wanderer, returning to his native home,
hung his palm branch and pilgrim's staff over the altar
of his parish church, where it remained, not only a
token of his own devotion, but, at the same time, an
incentive to others to follow so laudable an example.
Matters were on this footing when suddenly, from the
obscurity of the East, there emerged one of those agents
of divine Providence who, at stated periods in the world's
history, flash like meteors upon the scene of events, to
carry out His inscrutable dispensations ; and who, in the
present instance, was ordained to cause a complete revo-

10 A HISTORY OF
lution throughout the nations of the East, and to become
the founder not only of a new empire, but also of a new
religion. It will not come within the province of this work to
enter into any detail with regard to the personal history
of the impostor Mahomet, who, in the early part of the
seventh century, made his appearance in the guise of a
prophet in the city of Mecca. Suffice it to say, that, in
a period variously stated at from ten to twenty-five years
from the commencement of his career, he had brought
the whole of Arabia under his dominion. The main
cause of this rapid success may be found in the fact,
that one of the fundamental doctrines of his new faith
was the necessity of its propagation by the power of
the sword. The lust of conquest being thus superadded
to the zeal of fanaticism, it was not long in bearing its
customary fruit ; and the new creed spread with a rapidity
unequalled in the annals of religious propagandism.
After the death of Mahomet, his successors, who took
the name of caliph, or vicar of the prophet, for their
title, filled with zeal for their new faith, and burning
with ambition to add to their conquests, overran the
neighbouring provinces, and spread the doctrines of their
master, and their own power, at the point of the sword.
Damascus, Antioch, and Syria having succumbed to their
arms, they penetrated into Palestine, seized upon Jeru
salem, and passing thence into Egypt, they subjugated
it to their empire. Media, Korassan, and Mesopotamia
shared the same fate, until, at length, having entered
Africa, they brought the whole northern coast under
the influence of their sway. In Europe, after having
successively seized upon the islands of Cyprus, Rhodes,
Candia, Sicily, and Malta, they founded a new empire

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 11
in the heart of Spain, whence they carried on, for many
centuries, a desperate struggle with the Christians of
the surrounding provinces.
Of all these conquests, however, the one which caused
the greatest dismay throughout Christendom, and which,
in after ages, was fraught with the most eventful results,
was the capture of the Holy Land and the city of Jeru
salem. So long as the Christian emperors of the East
had continued to hold sway over its sacred limits, the
advent of pilgrims from all parts of the world had been
encouraged in every possible way. The government
had early perceived that a vast amount of money was
by this means brought into the empire, and that its
commerce was considerably extended by the large con
course of ever-changing people collected together within
the favoured province. Although the Mahometan suc
cessors of the Eastern emperors were far too politic and
keen-sighted to prohibit the admission of this influx of
Christians into the sacred city, they nevertheless imposed
upon them such tributes as materially diminished their
slender finances. The Infidels were at that time divided
by intestine discords amongst themselves ; since, shortly
after the death of Mahomet, they had become split up
into separate factions, each led by a chief who claimed
for himself the right of empire, in virtue of his being
the nearest in descent from the Prophet. There were
at one time no less than five distinct pretenders to this
dignity. The sovereignty of Jerusalem had been warmly
contested between two of these rivals, the caliph of
Bagdad and the caliph of Egypt ; and, in their strug
gles for supremacy, the poor unoffending pilgrims of
the West were miserably harassed and plundered, nay,
not unfrequently murdered. These impediments, how-

12 A HISTORY OF
ever, were not sufficient to check the ardour of their
zeal ; nor did the manifold dangers of the enterprise
deter a vast and annually increasing number from
seeking the shores of Palestine.
Many of these devotees combined the profitable em
ployment of traffic with the holier office of the Palmer ;
and those who were thus enabled to establish a relation
ship with the lords of the neighbouring provinces, had
it frequently in their power to befriend their less for
tunate brethren. In the middle of the eleventh century,
some merchants of Amalfi, a rich city of the kingdom of
Naples, having in the course of their trading in Egypt
ingratiated themselves with the Caliph Monstaser Billah,
who at that time held the holy city under his sway,
obtained permission to establish a hospital within the
limits of Jerusalem, for the use of poor and sick Latin
pilgrims. In accordance with the order of the caliph,
the Mahometan governor of the city assigned to these
pious men a site close to the Holy Sepulchre, on which,
as soon as possession could be obtained, they erected a
chapel dedicated to the Virgin, giving it the name of
St. Mary ad Latinos, to distinguish it from those churches
where the service was performed according to the Greek
ritual. The building was completed in the year 1048,
and from that time its sacred duties were carried on by
Benedictine monks appointed for the purpose.
At the same time, two hospitals, one for either sex,
were erected in the vicinity of the chapel, for the re
ception of pilgrims, and eventually each of these hospi
tals had a separate chapel annexed to it ; that for the
men being dedicated to St. John the Almoner, and
the one destined for the women to St. Mary Magdalen.
Many pilgrims, who on their arrival from Europe had

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 13
here experienced the kindness and hospitality so liberally
extended to all wayfarers, abandoned the idea of re
turning to their native homes, and formed themselves
into a band of charitable assistants, who, without any
regular religious profession, devoted themselves to the
service of the hospital, and the care of its sick inmates.
All the chief cities of Italy, and the South of Europe
generally, subscribed liberally for the support of this
institution ; the merchants of Amalfi, who were its
original founders, becoming the stewards of their bounty;
and as its beneficial influence became more widely known
throughout Europe, from the favourable reports of
grateful pilgrims on their return from these distant
climes, the amount of their revenue, and consequently
of their powers of usefulness, became greatly aug
mented. Such was the original establishment of the
Hospitallers of Jerusalem, which may justly be considered
as the cradle of the Order of St. John, and from this
pious fraternity of charitable devotees sprang a body
of men who for centuries became the terror of the Infi
del, and the bulwark of Christendom in the East.
A great and calamitous change was soon however
doomed to be the lot of the sacred city. Its Mahometan
masters, after four centuries of dominion, became in
their turn overpowered by a fierce horde of barbarians
bearing the name of Turkomans, who, originally nurtured
in the wild regions beyond the Caspian Sea, poured
themselves gradually over all the countries bordering on
the Euphrates. It was not long ere Jerusalem fell into
their hands, and from that moment a new and most
disastrous era dawned upon the pilgrims of Europe.
Their tribute was still further raised, and they them
selves were plundered, maltreated, and subjected to every

14 A HISTORY OF
kind of atrocity, thus rendering the journey to Jerusalem
an undertaking fraught with the greatest possible
danger. Pilgrims returning to their homes soon spread
the evil tidings, and a loud murmur of horror and
indignation arose from every province in Europe.
It was whilst these cruelties were at their height,
that, in the year 1093, a Latin monk, who had received
the name of Peter the Hermit on account of the
seclusion and rigid austerity of his life, having himself
witnessed the hardships and barbarities to which the
Christian sojourners in Jerusalem were exposed, deter
mined to devote his energies to the alleviation of their
sufferings, and applied to the Greek patriarch Simeon
for assistance in the good cause. The Greek empire
was at this time in far too insecure and tottering
a condition to admit of the possibility of any armed
intervention being undertaken in that quarter, but
Simeon willingly gave Peter a letter of recommendation
to Urban II., who then occupied the chair of St. Peter.
Fortified with this missive, as well as with one of a
similar tenor from Gerard, the rector of the Hospital of
St. John of Jerusalem, the Hermit proceeded to Rome,
and there personally pleaded his holy cause.
The enthusiasm which was excited throughout
Europe, and which led to the successive departure of
vast armaments from all quarters, formed a prominent
feature in the history of the 11th and 12th centuries.
After the miserable dispersion of the first undisciplined
hordes who, led by the fanatic Peter, rushed headlong
towards their destination in tumultuous disarray, the
armed chivalry of Europe gradually collected on the
plains before Constantinople, where they eventually
mustered a strength of 100,000 cavalry and nearly

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 15
600,000 foot. The advance of this force, which was
commanded in chief by Bohemond, son of the Count of
Calabria, was marked by the successive capture of the
cities of Nicea, Antioch, Tarsus, and Edessa, and
eventually appeared before Jerusalem, the haven of
their wishes, on the 7th of June, 1099.
The caliph of Egypt, taking advantage of the warfare
which the Turkomans were then carrying on against
the Crusaders, had succeeded in once more obtaining
possession of Palestine, and was at this period in
occupation of the holy city, which he garrisoned by a
force of 40,000 men, in addition to 20,000 Mahometan
inhabitants capable of bearing arms. The forces of the
besiegers, decimated as they had been by their previous
struggles, and the privations they had undergone,
scarcely numbered 20,000 infantry and 1500 horse.
As soon as they appeared before Jerusalem, the
governor arrested all the leading Christians in the
city, and threw them into prison, amongst others Peter
Gerard, the rector of the Hospital of St. John. Gerard
is generally supposed to have been a native of Florence,
but the matter is enveloped in doubt, neither his
country nor his family having been with any certainty
ascertained. He had undertaken a pilgrimage to the
East in accordance with the prevailing custom of the
age, and, being an eyewitness to the many charities
administered by the hospital, he abandoned his intention
of a return to Europe, and, devoting himself to the
service of the institution, rapidly gained such influence
by the piety of his life that he eventually became its
rector. At the same time a noble Roman lady, named
Agnes, superintended the establishment appointed for
the reception of females. Pilgrims of both sexes were

16 A HISTORY OF
admitted without distinction into the hospital; the
Infidels, even, were not excluded from its benefits, in
consequence of which the rector gradually became re
garded with almost filial veneration by the poor of the
city. It was the dread that this influence might be
made use of to favour the besiegers which induced the
governor, as a matter of precaution, to arrest Gerard.*
He, at the same time, caused all the wells within a
circuit of five or six miles of the town to be filled up,
and levelled every building in the suburbs, burning the
wood of which they were composed, so that the be
siegers, when they arrived, found nothing but an arid
waste encircling the walls of the town.
In spite of the disadvantages caused by the paucity
of their numbers and the obstacles thrown in their
way, the Crusaders at once decided upon prosecuting
the siege of the place. On the fifth day, a general as
sault was made ; but, owing to the want of the proper
military engines, the effort proved futile, and the as
sailants were driven with great loss from the walls. To
remedy this defect, Godfrey de Bouillon and Raymond
* A curious and amusing miracle is recorded in connexion with
this arrest of Gerard, tending to show the sanctity in which he was
held. It is stated that, distressed beyond measure at the miserable
condition to which he perceived the Crusaders were reduced from
starvation, he was in the practice of mounting the ramparts with loaves
of bread concealed beneath his cloak, which he threw over the walls for
the use of the Christians. Being one day detected in this charitable
act, he was led before the Mahometan governor of the city ; but lo !
when his cloak was removed, in testimony of the truth of the accusa
tion, it was discovered that the loaves he was carrying in his arms
had been miraculously converted into stones, and his life was, in con
sequence, spared. He was, however, placed in confinement, as being
still under suspicion of holding treasonable intercourse with the
besiegers.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 17
of Toulouse caused two wooden towers to be con
structed, and a second assault took place on the 19th
of July. This proved entirely successful ; Godfrey, by
means of his tower, penetrated within the walls, and,
opening the gates of the city, gave admission to the
whole army.
A scene of bloodshed and slaughter now took place,
such as must ever prove an indelible stain upon other
wise so glorious an achievement. Not content with
slaughtering those who were found with arms in their
hands, the women and children indiscriminately fell
victims to their savage ferocity. No less than 10,000
of the inhabitants were murdered in the Mosque of
Omar. The carnage on this spot was so fearful, that
the mutilated carcasses were floated by the torrents of
blood into the court, and the Christian knights rode in
the gore of the Saracens up to the knees of their horses.
On the day after the victory, an occurrence if possible
still more disgraceful to the Latin chiefs took place. A
body of 300 men, to whom Tancred had pledged his
knightly word in token of protection, were murdered in
cold blood, it having been decided by the assembled
leaders that no quarter should on any pretence be given
to the Saracens.
At length the slaughter ceased, and, satiated with
blood, the commanders of the army, followed by their
soldiers, bareheaded and with naked feet, proceeded to
the Holy Sepulchre, there to offer up their orisons, and
to return thanks for the successful issue of their sacred
undertaking. Incongruous as this act may appear so
shortly after the scenes recently enacted, it was in strict
accordance with the spirit of the times, when the fervent
piety of the Christian was closely allied to the intolerant
VOL. I. c

18 A HISTORY OF
zeal of the fanatic. Their religious duties accomplished,
they proceeded to organise a government for the newly
conquered territory, and the majority of the suffrages
uniting in favour of Godfrey of Bouillon, a prince as
noted for his piety as celebrated for his valour, he was
elected to the office of supreme ruler. Refusing the
title of king and the diadem which were offered him,
upon the plea that he would never wear a crown of
gold where his Saviour had worn a crown of thorns, he
modestly contented himself with the title of Defender
and Advocate of the Holy Sepulchre.
Thus, after the lapse of four centuries, we once more
find the sacred city shaking off the yoke of Islamism,
beneath which it had so long succumbed, and reverting
to that Christianity which had in by-gone ages found a
resting-place within its walls. It were a curious and
instructive study to contemplate the extraordinary
changes which time had wrought within its hallowed
precincts. Truly it is impossible not to feel how directly
the hand of the Lord had been here manifested, and how
this city of his own peculiar people had by his divine
favour been carried through scenes of desolation and
horror, such as would have insured the permanent "
destruction of any less favoured land. The siege, of
which the successful termination has just been narrated,
was the tenth which Jerusalem, with varied fortunes,
had undergone. It was first captured by David, in the
year B.C. 1051, who drove out its Jebusite inhabitants,
and, establishing his abode in the city, made it the
capital of the Jewish kingdom. In the reign of Rehor
boam, the grandson of David, seventy-five years after-
wards, it was besieged by Shishak, king of Egypt, who,
having obtained admission through the cowardice of

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 19
Rehoboam, pillaged the city, and retained a temporary
possession of it. The interposition of divine Providence
was destined to cause the next attack upon Jerusalem to
end more favourably for its inhabitants, the Almighty
having been pleased to smite the mighty hosts which
Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, in the year 715 b.c.
had brought against the place, with such miraculous
slaughter, that he was compelled to make a precipitate
retreat. The fourth siege to which Jerusalem was sub
jected, and which ended in its almost entire destruction,
was that undertaken by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Baby
lon, to enforce the payment of tribute which Zedekiah,
trusting to an alliance which he had contracted with
the Egyptians, had refused to continue. For eighteen
months the inhabitants persisted in their defence, famine
and pestilence causing even greater ravages among them
than the sword of the enemy. At the expiration of that
time they were compelled to yield, and the conquerer
made his triumphal entry into the city. Such of the
inhabitants as were not massacred were led away into
slavery, the temple was reduced to ashes, and the town
completely destroyed, nearly 1500 years after its founda
tion by Melchisedec. By permission of Cyrus, king of
Persia, it was rebuilt by Zerobabel, and once more forti
fied by Nehemiah.
In the year 63 b. c, the Jews having refused a passage
to the Roman army which was marching against Aristo-
bulus, Pompey the Great attacked the place, and, owing
to the dissensions raging within its walls, he speedily
made himself master of it. It is recorded, that in this
siege, which lasted during three months, no less than
twelve thousand Jews lost their lives. On the same day,
twenty-seven years afterwards, it was again captured by
c 2

20 A HISTORY OF
Herod the Great, and on this occasion the slaughter was
even greater than before, the obstinacy of the defence
having exasperated the conquerors to such a pitch of
frenzy, that, on obtaining possession of the town, they
immolated to their fury, without regard to age or sex, all
who fell into their hands. The seventh siege was that
rendei'ed so memorable in history from its being the ful
filment of our Lord's frequent denunciations whilst per
forming his ministry on earth. Titus made his appear
ance before the town, with a vast Roman army, in the year
66 A.c. At that time Jerusalem, built upon two very
steep mountains, was divided into three parts, — the
upper city, the lower city, and the temple ; each of which
had its own separate fortifications. From this cause, the
inhabitants were enabled to protract their defence almost
indefinitely; but the perseverance of the besiegers at
length overcame all obstacles, and, after a most desperate
resistance, Titus succeeded in forcing an entry into the
town, which, in spite of all his efforts, he was unable to
preserve from destruction. The word of God had said
that not one stone should be left upon another, of that
magnificent temple which for so many years had been
the pride and glory of the Jews, and vain was the man
date, even of the conqueror in his might, when he
attempted, in contradiction of that divine prophecy, to
prevent its destruction. The Emperor Adrian after
wards destroyed even its ruins, and caused another city
to be built on its site, which, in order that there might
be nothing left of the ancient Jerusalem, not even a
name, he called iElia. Under such circumstances the
city of David had nearly become forgotten ; when Con
stantine, the first Christian emperor of the East, restored

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 21
its name, and, calling together the faithful from all parts
of Europe, formed it into a Christian colony.
In the year 613 A.c, a countless host of Persian fire-
worshippers poured like a torrent upon Palestine, and,
carrying their ravages as far as Jerusalem, obtained
possession of the city. During the sack which ensued,
most of the churches, and the Holy Sepulchre itself,
were destroyed by fire ; and the sacred cross, so long
an object of veneration to Christians, was carried away
by the invaders. It was besieged for the ninth time
by the Saracens, under the command of Khaled, a.d.
635, and, after a siege of four months' duration, a
capitulation was agreed upon, in virtue of which the
city fell into the hands of the followers of Mahomet.
Whilst in their possession it changed masters several
times, until, eventually, it was wrested from their power
by the crusading army in the manner we have already
narrated. One of the first acts which Godfrey performed, upon
assuming the reins of government in the newly captured
city, was to visit the Hospital of St. John. He here
found a number of wounded Crusaders, who, having
been charitably received by the inmates, were being
nursed by them with the most tender solicitude. In
proof of the devotion and religious zeal which animated
the fraternity at this period, it is recorded that, whilst
the funds of the institution were being largely expended
in providing delicate and nutritious diet for the suf
ferers so charitably entertained within its walls, the
food of the brothers themselves was of the coarsest
description. Godfrey was so much struck with the
admirable manner in which the establishment was con-

22 A HISTORY 0/
ducted by Gerard, and with the benefits which it had
conferred upon his suffering army, that he immediately
endowed it with the manor of Montboise in Brabant.*
His example was followed by several of the other leaders
of the army, who had, either in their own persons or in
those of their followers, experienced the kindness and
hospitality of the Order. The main object for which
the expedition had been formed being thus accomplished
by the rescue of the holy city from the hands of the
Infidel, the greater portion of the crusading army re
turned to Europe ; and, the fame of the Hospital being
by them spread abroad in every direction, numerous
additional benefactions accrued to it : until, eventually,
there was scarcely a province in Europe in which the
Hospital of St. John did not stand possessed of manorial
rights. The ranks of the Hospitallers received, at the same
time, a vast augmentation by the secession of numerous
Crusaders from their martial career, who, yielding
themselves up entirely to pious duties, joined the chari
table fraternity under the sway of Gerard. Under
these circumstances, and actuated by a laudable desire
to secure the benefits of the institution on a broader
and more permanent basis, Gerard proposed that they
should constitute themselves into a regularly organised
religious body, taking upon themselves the three obhga-
tions of poverty, obedience, and chastity ; and that they
should devote the remainder of their lives to the service
of the poor and the sick in the newly established king
dom of Jerusalem. The proposition of the pipus rector,
coming, as it did, at a time when religious enthusiasm
* Vide Appendix No. 4.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 23
had been excited to an unprecedented degree of fervour
by the extraordinary success of the Christian armies,
was received with acclamation, and acted upon without
delay. The patriarch of Jerusalem received from the
candidates the three religious vows, and clothed them
in the habit which had been selected for the Order, and
which consisted of a plain black robe bearing a white
cross with eight points on the left breast.*
Pope Pascal II. shortly afterwards formally sanctioned
the establishment of the Order, by a bull published in
1113f, by which the Hospital was exempted from the pay
ment of tithes, the endowments it had received were con
firmed to it, and the privilege was conceded to its members
of electing their own Superior, whenever a vacancy should
occur, without any external interference, either secular
or ecclesiastical. After the recovery of Jerusalem from
the hands of the Saracens, the number of pilgrims to its
sacred shrine rapidly increased, and Gerard, in his soli
citude for their welfare, caused branch hospitals to be
established in most of the maritime provinces of Europe,
which were placed under the superintendence and ma
nagement of members of the Order, and these offshoots
* The first introduction of the Hospitallers into England occurred
in the reign of Henry L A priory was established for their benefit
at Clerkenwell, by Jordan Briset, of Wellinghall in Kent. The
name Clerkenwell owed its origin to a spring which rose at this
spot, and around which the parish clerks of London used to act scrip
ture plays ; hence the spot was called Clerks' Well, or Clerkenwell.
Henry II., in the year 1180, concentrated the various establishments
of the sisters of the Order at Bucklands in Somersetshire, which,
from that time, became their principal house in England. For a list
of the original members of the Order contemporary with Gerard, vide
Appendix No. 5.
f Vide Appendix No. 6. c 4

24 A HISTORY OF
of the parent establishment, which constituted their first
so-called Preceptories, formed points of departure, where
pilgrims always found shelter and entertainment, until
they could obtain transport to the haven of their wishes.
Gerard, who had already attained a green old age,
did not long survive the establishment of his new Order,
and in the year 1118 the post of Superior of the Hospi
tal became vacant. In accordance with the terms of the
papal bull already mentioned, the fraternity, immediately
after the decease of Gerard, proceeded to the election of
his successor. Their unanimous choice fell upon
Raymond du Puy, a scion of a noble family in Dauphin^.
At his accession to the superintendence of the Hospital,
Raymond found Baldwin II. seated on the throne of
Jerusalem. Brief as the interval had been since the
establishment of the kingdom, it had already witnessed
three changes of rulers, Godfrey and his brother
Baldwin I., who succeeded him, having both died in the
interim. The kingdom of Jerusalem consisted at this
period of certain isolated cities which were retained in
the possession of the Christians, the intervening country
being still held by the Saracens. The difficulties of
communication were consequently very great, and liable
to constant interruptions from the predatory attacks of
these Infidels.
Raymond du Puy had no sooner assumed the reins of
office, than his mind, naturally of a chivalric and war
like bent, led him to suggest a material alteration in
the constitution of the Order. He proposed to the fra
ternity, that, whilst they retained all the obligations im
posed upon them by the vows they had taken on their
admission, they should add the further one of bearing
arms in the defence of their religion. Although this

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 25
proposition was diametrically opposed to the leading
principles upon which the institution had been founded,
which principles had but a few years before been received
with the utmost enthusiasm, and established by acclama
tion, it nevertheless received a ready assent and found a
sympathising approval from every bosom.
A little reflection will readily account for this appa
rently contradictory fact. When Gerard, who was him
self a man of peaceful habits and bred in an almost
monastic seclusion, established his fraternity on an en
tirely religious basis, rendering the abandonment of a
warhke career a matter of course, he found no lack of
ready followers from the ranks of the crusading army.
They had passed through a period of extreme peril and
hardship, they had fought their way step by step at the
point of the sword, until, decimated in numbers and satia
ted with warfare, they had at length achieved the object
of their expedition. Whilst prostrate with the exhaustion
consequent on so lengthened a struggle, and eager for the
repose so necessary to restore their failing energies,
filled too at the moment with all the religious venera
tion which the sacred reminiscences of the holy ground
on which they trod was calculated to inspire, it is not to
be wondered at that they embraced with eagerness the
peaceful career thus presented for their adoption, com
bining, as it did, the gratification of their religious
enthusiasm with the calm and repose so grateful to
their jaded senses. The lapse, however, of a few years
of inactivity wrought a marvellous change in their
feelings. The quiet and seclusion of a monastic life
soon lost the charms which it had at first possessed ; the
habits of a career of excitement and energy could not
be thus suddenly changed, without at the same time

26 A HISTORY OF
producing a sense of inertness and lassitude ; when,
therefore, their new Superior, filled with the same rest
less cravings as themselves, sought to restore to their
institution the active exercise of that profession which
had been their delight from childhood, and which had
been abandoned in a hasty fit of fanaticism, it is not
surprising that his propositions should have been hailed
with eagerness.
The suggestions of Raymond du Puy met with the
warmest approval from Baldwin II. king of Jerusalem.
The constant state of warfare to which he was exposed
on every side, the incessant depredations of the Infidels,
and the necessity which existed of supporting his posi
tion and his crown by the force of arms, led him to
receive with the utmost favour a proposition which was
to bring to the support of his cause a body of men
highly trained in all the chivalric exercises of the age,
inflamed with religious ardour to a pitch well nigh of
fanaticism, and unfettered by any of those social ties in
Europe which had seduced so many of his followers
into an abandonment of the support of his kingdom.
Being thus upheld on every side, Raymond proceeded
without delay to carry his design into execution, and,
the patriarch of Jerusalem being a consenting party, the
entire body took a fresh oath, by which they bound
themselves to support the cause of Christianity against
the Infidels in the Holy Land, to the last drop of their
blood, but pledging themselves, at the same time, on no
pretence whatever to bear arms for any other pur-
pose. From this moment we may consider the Order of St.
John of Jerusalem as permanently established on that
mihtary basis which it ever afterwards retained until its

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 27
final dispersion, and although Gerard must be considered
as the original founder of the Order, it is to Raymond
du Puy that the honour belongs of being its first military
Master. When we consider the glorious and brilliant
achievements which through so many centuries have
adorned its annals, when we look at the long list of
names, ennobled by a series of magnificent achievements,
successively enrolled beneath its banners, we cannot
deny to the chivalric mind that first contemplated the
establishment of such a fraternity, combining within its
obligations such apparently contradictory duties, and
yet fulfilling its purposes with such imperishable re
nown to itself, and such lasting benefit to Christendom,
the meed of praise which it so justly claims.
The encroachments of the Infidel are no longer
dreaded in Europe ; the tide of invasion which for so
many centuries created a constant struggle between the
crescent and the cross has long since turned, and re
ceded within its original limits, and the necessity for
such an Order as that whose history we are now tracing
having ceased, that Order itself, after a rapid degenera
tion, has at last lost its political existence ; but its name
will remain to the latest posterity, coupled with some
of the most heroic deeds that have ever adorned the
profession of arms. The days of chivalry are at an
end; but the heart still throbs, and the pulse beats
high, as we trace its career, like a meteor's flash, dazzling
the page of history.

28 A HISTORY OF

CHAP. II.
REGULATIONS FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NEW ORDER. — AD
MISSION OF CANDIDATES. — ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMANDERIES. —
REGULATIONS RESPECTING DRESS.  DEFENSIVE ARMOUR: SCALE
MAIL, CHAIN MAIL, PLATE ARMOUR, THE HELMET, THE SHIELD.
 OFFENSIVE ARMOUR: THE LANCE, THE SWORD, THE BATTLE-AXE
THE DAGGER. — THE DESTRIER, OR WAR-HORSE.
Before entering into the history of the achievements of
the Order of St. John, it may be well to devote a short
space to the consideration of its government and internal
polity, as first established under Raymond du Puy.
Having been originally organised for charitable pur
poses only, it successively received the character of a
religious, republican, military, and aristocratic constitu
tion. It must be considered as religious, since every
member took the three vows of chastity, obedience, and
poverty. It was republican, since by the original con
stitution of the Order their chief was always selected
from among themselves, by their own nomination.
It was military, since two of the three classes into which
it was divided were constantly armed, and waged an un
ceasing war with the Infidels ; and it was aristocratic,
since, as we shall presently see, none but the first class
had any share in the legislative and executive power.
To regulate the new administration, rendered neces
sary by the changes in the functions of the Order which
he had introduced, Raymond du Puy assembled the

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 29
leading members of his Hospital, who bore the name of
Master's Assistants, and, forming them into a chapter
or council, he submitted, for their revision, the ordi
nances originally made by Gerard. It was at this
meeting that the first statutes for the governance of the
Order under its new character were instituted, which
rules were submitted to, and received the sanction of,
the Pope.* One of the first steps taken by this council
was to divide the Order into three different classes, ac
cording to their birth, rank, and functions. The first
class, which may be considered as the aristocracy of the
fraternity, received the name of Knights of Justice ; the
second, which included the clerical portion of the Order,
were denominated Religious Chaplains ; and the third,
or lower class, were called the Serving Brothers. f In
addition to the three classes just mentioned, which con
stituted the regular members of the Order, a further
body of men was attached to the institution, under the
title of Donats, who, without placing themselves under
the same obligations as the others, were employed in the
different offices of the convent and hospital. In token
of their connexion with the Order, they wore what was
called the demi-cross, which was granted to those who
were considered to have deserved reward whilst under
* The original rule established by Raymond du Puy for the gover
nance of his fraternity was lost at the capture of the city of Acre by
the Infidels in 1289. In the year 1300, however, Pope Boniface VIII.,
at the request of William de Villaret, the then Grand Master, pre
sented the Hospital with a fresh bull, in which the contents of
du Puy's original rule were recapitulated, with a few alterations.
Vide Appendix No. 7.
f The first distinction in the dresses of these classes was made by
Pope Alexander IV., in a bull published at Anagnia, in 1259. Vide
Appendix No. 8.

30 A history of
employment by the institution. There were also reli
gious dames of the Order of St. John, as alluded to in
the preceding chapter, and these ladies had branch esta
blishments in France, Italy, and Spain. The rules for
their reception were similar to those for the Knights of
Justice, and the proofs of noble descent which were de
manded at their hands were in some cases even more
rigid. The objects contemplated by Raymond du Puy, in the
establishment of his Order on a military footing, cannot
be better expressed than by giving the precise words of the
first regulation laid down by him for their guidance : —
" In the name of our Lord, Amen ; I, Raymond, ser
vant of the poor in Christ Jesus, and guardian of the
Hospital of Jerusalem, together with the council of the
chapter of brothers, have framed the following regu
lations, to be observed in the Hospital of St. John
the Baptist of Jerusalem. I desire, therefore, that
every brother, who shall engage himself in the service
of the poor, and in the defence of the Catholic Church,
shall maintain and observe, by the grace of God,
the three vows which they have made, in which
are comprehended chastity, obedience, that is, that
they will comply with the commands of the Master
in everything, and that they shall pass their lives
without the possession of any private property, since
God will demand an account to be rendered by them,
on all these points, at the day of judgment. Our
Order has been endowed, augmented, and enriched,
since its first foundation, by the liberality, assistance,
and favour of the Holy Apostolic See, of the Catholic
kings and princes, and by the piety of the faithful,
with lands, possessions, rights of justice, benefactions'

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 31
privileges, and exemptions, in order that the Knights,
who shall have made their profession, should join
its ranks through true charity, which is the mother
and sure foundation of all other virtues, from a sense
of hospitality, and from a sincere attachment to their
faith, and that, actuated by these several motives, they
should only strive to distinguish themselves by their
merit. The soldiers of Jesus Christ are destined to
fight only for his glory, to uphold his worship, and
the Catholic religion ; to love, revere, and preserve
justice ; and to favour, sustain, and defend the oppressed,
without neglecting the sacred duties of hospitality.
The Knights of the Hospital, therefore, in piously ac
quitting themselves of these several duties, shall bear
upon their robe a cross, with eight points, in order
that they may remember to bear in their hearts the
cross of Jesus Christ adorned with the eight virtues
which accompany it, and that, after a due exercise
of charity, they should take the sword in hand, for
the extermination of Mahometans, and of all who
abandon the true religion. From the moment they
shall have devoted themselves to this sacred cause, they
should animate themselves by the example of the
Maccabees ; those holy soldiers and martyrs, who com
bated so gloriously in the maintenance of their religion,
and who, though few in number, have often, by the
assistance of God, overthrown the most formidable
armies. They should also bind themselves to the exact
observance of that which they have promised to God,
in making the three vows retained by the regulation,
of chastity, obedience, and poverty, and to the practice
of all the other moral and religious virtues ; so that,
inflamed with charity, they shall not fear to take the

32 A HISTORY OF
sword in hand, and to expose themselves with prudence,
temperance, and energy, to every kind of danger,
for the defence of the glory of Jesus Christ, and of
the sacred cross, in the cause of justice, and in that
of the widows and orphans. There can be no greater
proof of charity than that of laying down one's life
for one's friend, that is to say, for all true Catholics ;
in this consists their duty, their vocation, the mode
of life which they have selected, their justification, and
their sanctification ; so that, in closing the pilgrimage
of this mortal life, they may attain to that eternal
recompense for which God has created them. Those
who shall be convicted of having neglected their duty,
misused or overlooked occasions where they could have
done good service in any war undertaken for the
interests of Christianity, the punishment of evil-doers,
and the assistance of the good, shall be rigorously pun
ished according to the statutes and rules of the Order."
After this enumeration of the general principles upon
which his Order was founded, Raymond proceeds to
lay down the form in which the ceremony of Installation
is to be carried out : —
" Those who have resolved upon dedicating them
selves to the service of the sick, and to the defence of
the Catholic rehgion, in the habit of our Order, are re
ceived at their profession in the following manner. He
should know that he is about to put off the old man,
and to be regenerated ; he should, therefore, confess
himself humbly of all his sins, according to the custom
of the Church, and, after having received absolution, he
is to present himself in a secular habit, without a girdle,
in order that he may appear perfectly free at the time
of entering upon so sacred an engagement, with a lighted

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 33
taper in the hand, which represents charity. He is to
hear mass, and to receive the holy communion. He is
then to present himself most respectfully before the
person appointed to perform the ceremony, and to re
quest to be received into the company of brothers, and
into the holy Order of the Hospital of Jerusalem. The
brother who receives him will address him in a short
speech, to confirm him in his pious desire. He will ex
plain how salutary and advantageous it is to the soul,
that he should consecrate himself to the service of the
poor in Christ Jesus, that he should be constantly
employed in works of mercy, and that he should devote
himself to the service and defence of the Christian faith ;
a favour which many have desired, and have not been
able to obtain. He shall point out the engagement he
will have to enter into of perfect obedience ; the severity
of the rules, which will no longer permit him to act for
himself, but, on the contrary, oblige him absolutely to
renounce his own will and pleasure, and implicitly to
comply with that of his superiors. The candidate is to
be asked, whether he is disposed to submit to all these
obligations ; whether he has ever before taken the vows
of any other order ; whether he has ever been married ;
if his marriage has been consummated ; if he owes any
considerable sums of money ; or if he be a slave : be
cause, if, after having taken the vows, it should be dis
covered that he has done any of these acts, or has been
in the last-mentioned situation, he will be immediately
stripped of his habit with disgrace, as a deceiver, and
given up to those who may have any such claims upon
him. If he declares that he has contracted no such
engagements, the brother who receives him presents to
him an open missal, upon which he is to place both his
VOL. I. D

34 A HISTORY OF
hands, and, having answered all the above questions,
he is to make his profession in the following terms:
'I, N  , do vow and promise to Almighty God,
to the Holy Eternal Virgin Mary, mother of God, and
to St. John the Baptist, to render henceforward, by
the grace of God, perfect obedience to the Superior
placed over me, by the choice of the Order, to live
without personal property, and to preserve my chas
tity.' Having taken his hands from the book, the
brother who receives him says as follows : ' We
acknowledge you as the servant of the poor and sick,
and as having consecrated yourself to the defence of
the Catholic Church.' — To which he is to reply, 'I
acknowledge myself as such.' After having kissed the
book he shall place it upon the altar, which he like
wise kisses, and then returns it to the receiving brother,
in token of perfect obedience, upon which the brother,
taking the mantle and showing him the white cross
upon it, shall thus address him : ' Do you believe, my
brother, that this is the symbol of that holy cross
to which Jesus Christ was fastened, and on which
he died for the redemption of our sins?' — The pos
tulant shall reply, ' Yes, I do verily believe it.' The
other then adds, ' It is also the sign of our Order,
which we command you constantly to wear.' The new
brother shall kiss the sign of the cross, and the other
then throwing the mantle over his shoulders, in such
a manner that the cross shall be placed on his left
breast, and at the same time kissing him, shall say:
' Take this sign, in the name of the Holy Trinity, of
the Holy Eternal Virgin Mary, and of St. John the
Baptist, for the increase of faith, the defence of the
Christian name, and the service of the poor. We

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 35
place this cross upon your breast, my brother, that
you may love it with all your heart, and may your
right hand ever fight in its defence, and for its preser
vation. Should it ever happen that in combating
for Jesus Christ against the enemies of the faith,
you should retreat, desert the standard of the cross,
and take to flight in so just a war, you will be stripped
of this truly holy sign, according to the statutes and
customs of the Order, as having broken the vow you
have just taken, and will be cut off from our body,
as an unsound and corrupt member.' He shall then
fasten the strings of his mantle round his neck, and
shall say: 'Receive the yoke of the Lord, for it is
easy and light, and you shall find rest for your soul.
We promise you nothing but bread and water, and
a simple habit of little value ; we give to you,
your parents and your relations, a share in the good
works performed by our Order and by our brethren,
both now and hereafter, throughout the world.' Upon
which all who are present upon the occasion shall
embrace the newly professed knight, in token of friend
ship, peace, and brotherly love."
Such was the ceremonial of reception, as laid down
at the first institution of the Order, and it continued
in force, without alteration, during the entire period
in which the fraternity existed; though how widely
they swerved from the true intent of these vows wiU
be seen hereafter.
The ceremonial for depriving a Knight of his habit,
and for carrying into effect his expulsion from the Order,
formed the subject of regulations equally minute and
detailed as that just described. The principal reasons
for which this sentence of deprivation appears to have
» 2

36 A HISTORY OF
been contemplated was to guard against any exhibition
of cowardice before the enemy. This was regarded
as a crime of the very first magnitude ; for, whilst a
Knight who had undergone deprivation for any other
offence against the code of the Order was eligible for
restoration after a due exhibition of penitence, he who
had disgraced the sacred banner beneath which he
fought, and had turned his back upon that Infidel foe
against whom it was his duty, as it ought to have been
considered his privilege, to wage an unceasing and un
relenting warfare, was stripped of the symbols of his
profession with every mark of ignominy, and was ex
pelled from that honoured fraternity on whose fair name
he had brought disgrace by his pusillanimity.
The powers of government were vested in the hands
of a Supreme Council, presided over by the Master,
and all questions connected with the well-being of the
fraternity, as well as the collection and expenditure of
their large and yearly increasing revenues, were guided
exclusively by their decision. The income of the Order,
at this period, consisted of landed property in every
part of Europe ; the fruit of the benevolent donations
which had been lavished, with unsparing hand, upon
the community.
During the first years which succeeded the acquisi
tion of these territorial possessions, they were farmed
out to members of the laity entirely unconnected with
the institution, and these tenants were supposed to
remit an annual rent to the treasury at Jerusalem, in
proportion to the value of the lands they held. This
system, however, was very soon found to be extremely
faulty in the working. The difficulty of obtaining their
just rights from persons who had no interest in the

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 37
prosperity of the community, and who, from the ex
treme distance which separated them, found every
facility for evading the just claims made upon them,
soon caused the most alarming deficits to appear in
their finances. In order to guard against this evil, and
to insure the punctual and regular transmission of the
rents of their numerous manors, it was determined to
place over each of them a member of the Order, who
should act as a steward of the funds committed to his
control. Establishments were formed on a scale of
magnitude varying according to the value of the
properties they were intended to supervise, and
superintendents were elected by the Council for their
governance. These were taken from amongst the senior
members and were not confined to the Knights of Justice
only, a certain number of Chaplains and Serving Bro
thers being also nominated to the dignity.
Their duties were not confined to the collection and
transmission of the revenues only. These establish
ments formed at the same time branches where mem
bers were professed, and the various duties carried on,
in a precisely similar manner as in the parent house at
Jerusalem. Periodical draughts were here collected,
who, as their services were required for action against
the Infidels of the East, were called to Jerusalem by
the command of the Master, and when not engaged
upon this duty they were to be found leading the van
in the warfare then unceasingly waging against the
Moors in Spain and in the South of Europe. Wherever
an Infidel foe was to be encountered, thither it was the
duty of every true Knight of St. John to hasten ; but
they were strictly forbidden, upon any account what
soever, to interfere in any of the struggles . carried on
1) 3

38 A HISTORY OF
between Christian princes. On the first creation of
these estabhshments they were denominated Precep
tories, the superior being called the Preceptor; but,
eventually, the name became changed to that of Com
mandery, by which they were always afterwards known.
The Council reserved to themselves the power of at any
time recalling a Commander from his post, and substi
tuting another in his place, at their pleasure ; he being
merely considered as the steward of their property.
Time, however, gradually wrought a great change in
the relative position which the Commanders held to
the Council ; and, eventually, a nomination to a Com
mandery came to be considered in the light of a legal
acquisition, subject only to the payment of a certain
amount of annual tribute to the public treasury, which
tribute received the name of Responsions.
Strong prohibitions were issued against the use of any
ornaments or devices in either the dress or the arms of
the brotherhood ; a restriction which became the more
necessary in the eyes of their pious founder, owing to
the increasing taste for splendour which was even then
gradually creeping into the habits of the age. When
the first germs of chivalry commenced to show them
selves in the midst of the torrent of barbarism which
had overthrown the mighty empire of Rome, the rude
simplicity of the times had hmited the construction of
arms to the purposes only for which they were intended ;
and the introduction of anything like ornament appears
to have been utterly unknown. As, however, time wore
on, and brought in its train the usual concomitant of
an advance in civilisation and luxury, new ideas were
gradually grafted upon the original principles of
chivalry.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 39
Whereas, in its earlier ages, duty to his religion and
to his country were the only obligations imposed upon
a knight, the advancing spirit of civilisation insensibly
introduced another element into the code, and lady love
was ere long heard of as the noblest incentive to chivalric
daring. So inseparably did this feeling become con
nected with all the after character of the system, that
it may be looked upon as its mainspring. Every true
knight considered that the most daring act of gallantry
was amply rewarded by the sweet smile of approval
with which he was greeted from the lady of his love ;
and, bearing upon his person the favoured colours of his
mistress, he carried them wherever peril was to be
braved, or honour was to be gained. Under these cir
cumstances, it was but natural that the rigid simplicity
which characterised preceding times should give way to
the introduction of that personal adornment which the
new phase of chivalry had generated.
Armour came to be no longer constructed merely
with a view to its uses, but ornamentation, more or less
elaborate, rapidly introduced itself. The gorgeous in
signia of heraldry date their origin from this new
sentiment ; and each succeeding generation outvied the
former in the splendour and magnificence of their
equipments. At the period of which we are treating,
viz. the early part of the twelfth century, this innova
tion had not reached to any great height ; it had, how
ever, been so far introduced as to render it advisable in
the eyes of Raymond du Puy to make a special regula
tion against its introduction into his fraternity. No
decoration of any kind was permitted upon any portion
of the armour, either offensive or defensive, with the
sole exception of their distinctive badge of the cross ;
D 4

40 A HISTORY OF
and this was only to be borne on the pennon, the sur-
coat, and the shield. This allusion to the restrictions
imposed upon the ornamentation permitted in the equip
ment of the Knights of St. John leads naturally to
the question as to how that equipment was com
posed. Armour may be divided into two classes, offensive
and defensive: the former, as its name implies, including
all those weapons used for purposes of offence; and the
latter the covering for man and horse, provided for his
protection from the assaults of his opponent. At the
time of the first Crusade, at the end of the eleventh cen
tury, defensive armour consisted simply of a leathern
tunic, on which were fastened rows of iron rings. The
word cuirass, now inappropriately used to designate
the steel breastplate still worn by some of the heavy
cavalry in most armies, is traceable to the French word
cuir^ in connexion with this leathern tunic. It was
not long before these rings gave way to small iron plates,
lapping over each other on the same principle as the
scales of a fish, from which it derived its name, being
called scale mail. The form of armour previously de
scribed was simply called mail, from the Latin word
macula, a net, the meshes of which it was supposed to
resemble. The leathern tunic, on which these varieties
of harness were borne, was called a hauberk. The
lower members were defended by chausses,aterm synony
mous with the modern word breeches. When the mail
tunic and the chausses were joined into one piece, as was
frequently the custom, the combination was called the
haubergeon. In either case, the crown and back of the
head were protected by a hood of mail, which was some
times detached, but oftener formed a part of the hauberk

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 41
or haubergeon ; in which case the wearer was enabled to
throw it back upon his shoulders, when he wished to
disencumber his head from its weight. This mail not
only protected the back of the head, but, coming round
to the front, covered also the mouth and chin, the
function of breathing being entirely performed by the
nose. The hands were protected by a continuation of
the sleeves of the frock, which passed over the fingers ;
and the same duty was performed with regard to the
feet, by a continuation of the chausses.
It may be mentioned here, that the first symptom of
the introduction of dandyism in the construction of
armour commenced with the feet, it being the fashion
for the toe of the mail to project several inches in length,
and to incline downwards.
Numerous improvements were gradually introduced
into this system of mail armour, but none of sufficient
importance to warrant any detailed description. The
wars of the Crusades, however, having caused the Asiatic
mode of warfare to become better known in Europe, a
vast improvement was introduced in the form of the
defensive armour borrowed from the Saracens. In lieu of
the rings of mail being sewn upon the dress, they were
interlaced with one another, each ring having four others
inserted into it, the garment being thus formed of the
rings themselves, without any leathern foundation. This
new arrangement was further improved by the introduc
tion of double rings, rendering it not only impervious
to a sword-cut, but also to the thrust of the lance.
Another great advantage, which immediately secured its
general adoption by the chivalry of Europe, was its
extreme portability. A warrior was no longer com
pelled to encumber himself by the weight of his armour

42 A HISTORY OF
while he was travelling. Being both flexible and com
pact, it could be rolled up after the manner of a cloak,
in which form it was borne by the esquire, on the hinder
part of his saddle.
Gradually, however, the improvement in the con
struction of weapons of offence led to the necessity of
adopting still further measures of protection. Plates of
solid steel were attached to the breast, and to other
parts of the body, where a dearly bought experience
had taught the wearer the insufficiency of his metal
rings. New plates were continually added on the dis
covery of fresh weak points in the harness, until, even
tually, the knight became encased in an entire double
covering of mail and plate. It being then found that
the mail had ceased to be of any service, it was gra
dually discarded, and the warrior was entirely covered
Avith steel plates, which received their names from those
parts of the body for whose protection they had been
constructed. The pectoral covered the breast, the gorget
the throat, the ailettes the shoulders, the brassarts the
arms, and the cuisses the thighs, whilst the scaly gaunt
let formed an ample protection to the hands.
Defensive armour had now become so ponderous, that
its protective advantages were nearly counterbalanced
by its extreme oppressiveness ; and cases not unfre
quently occurred where the wearers were smothered to
death in the mSlee of battle, from not being able to rise
after being overthrown in a charge. A knight once
prostrate became in fact little better than an inert mass
of steel, unable to assist himself.
Over this armour the knight wore a dress, usually
denominated a surcoat or a tabard ; its form varied with
the caprice of the wearer ; it had, however, one constant

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 43
peculiarity, namely, that it was always sleeveless. As
this surcoat was worn over the armour upon grand
occasions, it was here that the growing taste for splendour
and ornamentation developed itself with the greatest
rapidity. Cloths of gold or silver, ermine, miniver,
sables, or other rich furs, were employed in its manu
facture. The arms were borne upon this garment,
whence the derivation of the term coat of arms. The
Knights of St. John were restricted to a plain surcoat,
their whole harness being covered with a black mantle
bearing upon it a white cross.
Whilst the covering of the body underwent all these
manifold changes, that for the head had become subject
to a similar revolution. The mail hood being found to
be no longer a sufficient protection, an iron helmet was
introduced, whose shape fluctuated between the conical
and the cylindrical. This helmet was not intended to
supplant the use of the hood, but was worn over it. To
protect the face, a broad piec6 of iron was at first intro
duced, Avhich connected the frontlet of the helmet with
the mail over the mouth. This protection, however,
being found very imperfect, cheek pieces were substi
tuted, consisting of bars placed either horizontally or
perpendicularly, and which formed an adequate safe
guard against a sword-cut. The next improvement was
that of the avantaile or mask, which was attached to the
helmet, and had apertures for the eyes and mouth. By
means of pivots, it was so constructed that the knight
could raise or drop the covering over his face ; in this
form it was termed a visor. Subsequently plates were
brought up from the chin, and this movable portion of
the helmet was called beaver, from the Italian bevere,
to drink, access to the mouth being thereby obtained.

44 A HISTORY OF
The top of the helmet was always surmounted by that
portion of the armorial bearings which, from this cause,
has been termed the crest ; but the Knights of St. John
were not permitted to adorn their helmets with any such
heraldic distinctions.
The shield, which was borne upon the left arm, com
pleted the defensive armour of the knight. Its shape
was either oblong or triangular, wide at the top in
order to afford due protection to the body, and tapering
at the bottom where it was not required to cover so
large a surface. It bore usually the heraldic insignia of
its owner, together with the motto, or war-cry he was
in the habit of using in battle. The Knights of St.
John, however, bore only the cross upon their shield, all
other device being forbidden to them.
The offensive arms in general use were four in num
ber ; namely, the lance, the sword, the battle-axe, and
the dagger. The lance, which was the chief offensive
weapon of the age, was made of the toughest ash pro
curable, with a sharp iron head fastened to its top. The
length varied according to the strength and size of the
bearer, there being no regulation on that head. Below
the point was usually fixed an ensign, on which was
carried some portion of his heraldic emblems, which, in
the case of the Hospitallers, was, as usual, restricted to
the cross. This ensign was called gonfanon, or pennant.
When not in use, the knight carried his lance slung to
the saddle-bow, the end of it resting upon the point of
his toe, whence he could seize it readily, and bringing
it to a horizontal position, couch it beneath his right
arm. When in this position its point projected many
feet beyond his horse's head.
The usual weapon, when in close quarters, or me^--

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 45
as it was called, was the sword. This was constructed
of the finest steel, long, straight, broad, and double-
edged. Spain was always famous for the superior tem
per of its sword-blades, and in the twelfth century the
sword-makers of Saragossa had achieved as wide-spread
a renown as those of Toledo have done in later times.
As, however, the Eastern nations appear to have excelled
the countries of Europe in everything appertaining to
the manufacture of iron, more especially as connected
with arms and armour, so we find the sword-blades of
Damascus taking a place in the estimation of all good
judges, which was never attained by any of European
production. The chivalry of a family was represented
by its sword, which descended as an heir-loom from
father to son. The cross-hilt, which formed its handle,
was often made to do the duty of a crucifix ; and, Avhen
the wounded knight lay stretched upon the gory plain,
he raised the emblematic cross before those eyes rapidly
clouding with the shadows of death, and, breathing the
short prayer which constituted the sum of his religious
knowledge, pressed it devoutly to his lips. The handle
of the sword served also for another purpose, the seal of
the owner being engraved on its head. As few of the
warriors of that period had attained what was then con
sidered the monkish acquirement of writing, this seal,
rudely impressed upon wax, served as a signature, the
only one, in fact, he could append to any document
requiring that attestation.
It Avas a common practice for inscriptions to be written
upon the blade of the sword, the quaint morality of
many of which would raise a smile to the lips of modern
readers. It was also not unusual for the swords of
celebrated warriors to receive names. The well-known

46 A HISTORY OF
weapon of King Arthur, called Escalibert, afterwards
corrupted into Caliburn, must be familiar to every reader
of ancient romance. Ariosto mentions that the sword
of Rogero was called Balisardo, and that of Orlando
Durindana. The sword was borne upon the person,
either by a belt round the waist, or by a baldric de
scending from the right shoulder across the body ; and
its material varied according to the wealth or caprice of
the Avearer, from the simplicity of tanned leather to the
splendour of that of Prince Arthur, which
" Shind like twinkling stars, with stones most precious rare."
Although the sword was the principal weapon used in
close combat, there were not wanting warriors in that
period who loved to exercise their brawny arms by the
use of more ponderous instruments. With these the
martel and battle-axe were favourite weapons. To every
reader of English history the name of Richard Coeur-de-
Lion Avill be at once recalled, upon the mention of this
his favourite arm, who, as the old song says,
" Let him make an axe for the nones.
To break therewith the Sarasyns bones ;
The head was wrought right weel.
Therein was twenty pounds of steel."
The martel, or mascle, as it was sometimes called, was
a heavy steel or iron hammer, which dealt out destruc
tion, either by the Aveight of its fall, or the sharpness of
its edge. In the good old times, when the Holy Apo
stolic Church was often, in a temporal as well as in a
spiritual sense, the church militant, and when mitred
abbots and priestly dignitaries were wont upon occasion

THE liNIGHTS OF MALTA. 47
to sink the churchman in the Avarrior, and to buckle on
the carnal weapons of warfare, the martel and the
battle-axe were the only arms they used. The canons
of their church, with a vicAv to preventing the possibility
of any of her syis joining in those scenes of strife so
constantly raging in all the countries where her sway
was acknowledged, had forbidden them to wield the
sword ; but they, more eager to follow the dictates of
their own ambitious cravings than ready to submit
themselves to her holy will, had chosen to translate the
restrictions thus imposed upon them, in a literal, rather
than in a general, sense. Whilst therefore they stu
diously refrained from wearing a sword upon any war
like expedition, they saw, or affected to see, no disobe
dience to the laAvs of their church in carrying with
them to the field of battle that most unecclesiastical of
Aveapons the martel; ay, and in using it too in a
most unclerical manner, as many a broken pate and
cloven skull could testify, were it but alive to tell the
tale. The axe, however, was never a favourite amongst
the more polite and courteous of the knighthood ; and
one cause of its unpopularity maybe traced to the fact,
that it was ordinarily in use among the Flemings, and
was therefore coupled with ideas of trade, an associa
tion which in those days bore with it a degradation
unknown in our more modern money-getting times.
The equipment of offensive arms was completed by the
dagger, rendered necessary from the extreme strength
of the defensive armour. The body of his adversary
being coated in every part with plates of steel, on Avhich
the lance broke, the arrow glanced, and the sword could
make no impression Avhatever, it became a difficult
matter, even after he had been unhorsed by the rude

48 A HISTORY OF
shock of the encounter, to despatch him effectually. A
thin dagger had been consequently added, which could
be inserted between the joints of the harness, and
through these, the only vulnerable points, the death
wound could be inflicted. By an anojjpaly more appa
rent than real, this Aveapon was called the dagger of
mercy ; but it received this name from the obligation
which the laws of chivalry imposed upon the successful
combatant to show mercy, if, when about to make use of
it, the prostrate foe yielded himself his prisoner, rescue
or no rescue.
Any account of knightly equipment would be in
complete without a reference to the horse, which formed
so important a part of it. Weighty as Avas the panoply
of steel worn by his rider when fully accoutred, it was
necessary that the horse should be an animal of great
power. England had not, in those times, exhibited that
superiority in the breeding of her horses which she has
since attained, and Spain was the country which sup
plied the most poAverful and mettlesome chargers then
procurable. After the Crusades had thrown the coun
tries of Europe into closer intercourse with the tribes of
the East, and the powers of endurance of the Arab steed
became for the first time known, it was very generally
preferred to those of any other country; for, what it
wanted in bone and sinew, it more than made up in
blood and power of endurance. Perhaps, however, the
perfection of a war-horse was attained by a mixture of
the two races, in which a combination of the good points
of both parents might be sought.
The destrier, or war-horse, was protected with armour
very much on the same principle as that of his rider,
his head, chest, and flanks being completely covered.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 49
The taste for ornamentation, as it crept in, found an
ample field for display in his caparisons, the bridle
forming generally the culminating point in his splendour :
but on this head, as on all others, the restrictions of our
religious Order were most implicit ; the regulation being
that the horse furniture of the soldiers of Jesus Christ
should be free from all golden or silver ornaments.
It may be well to mention here, in conclusion, that
every portion of a knight's armour bore with it an alle
gory, or hidden religious meaning. His sword, formed
in the resemblance of a cross, was typical of the death
of Christ, and taught him likewise that it was his duty
to wield it against the enemies of his religion. Its
double edge was considered significant of chivalry and
justice ; his spear was the emblem of truth, on account
of its unswerving straightness, and its iron point marked
that strength which is its distinctive property. In like
manner, the mace was supposed to represent courage ;
the helmet, modesty; the hauberk, that spiritual
panoply which should protect the knight from the frail
ties of the flesh ; the spurs, diligence ; and the shield
exhibited the duty of a knight himself, he being con
sidered as a barrier and protection to his country.
There was much that was great and noble in all con
nected with the laws of chivalry ; and when acted up
to, in due accordance with their spirit, there was much,
very much, in the feeling which dictated them, tending
to soften and civilise the rude character of the times.
That many of its tenets must appear to modern readers
impracticable, nay, even ridiculous, is doubtless true;
still, equally true it is, that they were admirably suited
to the temper of the times in which they held their
sway ; and many an act of ruthless tyranny, barbarous
VOL. I. B

50 A HISTORY OF
spoliation, or Avanton aggression, was checked by the
feeling that injured innocence and oppressed weakness
could claim a ready champion in every true knight,
without reference to country or religion. In these days
of civilisation, in which it is our good fortune to live,
and in which the laws give a ready redress for all
injuries sustained, the armed intervention of the mailed
knight can never be needed ; but in the days of our
forefathers the power of the law was comparatively
feeble, and he Avho was not prepared to hold his ground
by the strength of his own right hand would have fared
but ill in the race of life, had it not been for the generous
intervention of the chivalric code.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 51

CHAP. III.
DATE OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE MILITARY ORDER OF ST. JOHN.
 CAMPAIGNS OF ANTIOCH AND EDESSA  FOUNDATION OP THE
TEMPLARS AND OF THE ORDER OF ST. LAZARUS. — EMBASSY OP
JOUBERT, AND MARRIAGE OF RAYMOND OF POITIERS.  LEGACY OF
THE KING OF NAVARRE  LOSS OF EDESSA  ASSASSINATION OP
ZENGHL  ATTEMPTED RECAPTURE OF EDESSA.  SECOND CRUSADE.
 SIEGE OF DAMASCUS. ADVANCE OP THE JARROQUINS. THEIR
REPULSE AND OVERTHROW.  SIEGE AND CAPTURE OP ASCALON. 
JEALOUSIES OP THE CLERGY TOWARDS THE ORDER.  DEATH OP
RAYMOND DU PUT.
The precise date at which the changes related at the
end of the first chapter took place is more or less a
point of dispute, there being no record left of the fact ;
a matter sufficiently strange, when the vast importance
of the alterations, involving as they did the complete
reconstruction of the Order, is taken into consideration.
Reasoning, however, from analogy, it cannot well be
placed at a later date than 1118, the very first year of
the accession of Raymond du Puy to the office of
Master. Indeed, the two leading chroniclers of the
achievements of the Knights of St. John differ but little
in the date which they assign to the accession of Ray
mond : the Abbe Vertot giving it as having occurred in
1118, and the Chevaher Boisgehn in 1120. Other
historians, however, amongst whom may be enumerated
Boissat, Baudouin, and the Abb4 Roux, place the ac-
E 2

52 A HISTORA' OF
cession of Raymond at as late a date as 1131, account
ing for the interval between Gerard's death in 1118 and
that time by the insertion of a second rector, named
Roger.* The authority for this interpolation, since the
name of Roger appears nowhere in the archives of the
Order, is stated to be a deed of gift of certain lands,
presented by Atton, Count of Abrussa, to Roger, the
governor of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem.
The date of this deed appears to be 1120, but there is
not any record of it whatever now remaining ; owing
to Avhich circumstance the fact itself ought to be re
ceived Avith great caution. There exists a stronger
motive than would at first sight appear for this mystifi
cation in the date of the origin of the military organisa
tion of the Order. It became, in after years, a fertile
source of dispute between the Knights of St. John and
those of the Temple, whose foundation will be noted
in the course of the present chapter, as to which of the
two Orders could claim priority on account of the
relative antiquity of their foundations. It appears
distinctly enough, that the founder of the Order of the
Temple did not commence the original establishment of
his small fraternity till the year 1118 ; and the institu
tion of that Order was not formed upon a regular basis
until at least ten years after that date. If, therefore, it
can be proved that Raymond succeeded to the govern
ment of the Hospital on the death of Gerard in 1118,
and at once proceeded to organise his brotherhood upon
a martial basis, the Order of St. John claims by right
the priority of formation ; if, however, a second rector
* Bosio, the most authentic of the old historians, alludes to this
difference in opinion, but does not positively join either party.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 53
named Roger did actually exist, and if Raymond Avas
not appointed to the office until 1131, it appears very
probable that the seniority might be claimed by the
Knights of the Temple. In the absence of positive
testimony upon this fact it becomes necessary to
argue by analogy, and the weight of evidence ap
pears to show the former date to be correct, it being
recorded that the Hospitallers took part in an engage
ment fought by Baldwin II. against the Infidels in the
year 1119. Although the attempt has been made to
attribute the establishment of the military system to
other Masters than Raymond du Puy ; still, no evidence
has been produced sufficient to shake the unanimous
record of all the early historians, who attribute the
change to him. The Chevalier Taafe Avould carry it
back to Gerard, the founder of the Order; whilst
Addison, anxious to claim the priority for his proteges
the Templars, endeavours to fix it upon Gilbert d'Ascali,
the fourth Master, at the epoch of his unfortunate ex
pedition into Egypt in 1169. Upon a careful review of
the evidence adduced on all sides, it appears that 1119
must have been about the date at which the system AA'as
inaugurated. At this time, in addition to the kingdom of Jerusalem,
the Latins held sway over other detached princi23alities,
which formed the outworks of that exposed and con
stantly harassed monarchy. Such were the counties of
Edessa and Tripoli, and the principality of Antioch,
which, though constituting independent governments,
were more or less under the influence of, and always
in alliance with it. Indeed, placed as these small
struggling states were, surrounded by implacable
enemies, and liable to constant attacks from vastly
E 3

54 A HISTORY OF
superior forces on every side, isolated from all assist
ance save that of their own good swords, had there not
been the strongest bond between them they could not
have existed many months. Feeling, however, that the
support of each was necessary for the safety of all, an
Infidel attack was no sooner menaced in any one
quarter, than speedy and effectual succour was at once
despatched from all the others; and the prowess of the
Latin chivalry in those times Avas such, that we do not
find their Moslem foe ever able to withstand the im
petuosity of their onslaught, save when vastly superior
in numbers.
The cause of the battle alluded to above as having
occurred in 1119, was owing to one of these descents of
the Turkoman tribes upon the principality of Antioch.
The Knights of St. John hastened to seize the opportu
nity afforded by the king of Jerusalem marching his
forces to the assistance of the threatened city, to flesh
their newly consecrated swords, and to win the first
laurel of that chaplet which centuries of heroic warfare
has since twined for their brows.
The Infidels, who had met with success prior to the
king's arrival, and had utterly routed the forces which
the regent of Antioch had brought against them, he him
self having been slain in the encounter, hastened to meet
their new foe, elate with victory and confident of success.
Superior, however, as were their numbers, they were no
match for the iron-clad warriors who now fell like a
thunderbolt upon their ranks. Riven in sunder by the
torrent of chivalry Avhich with Raymond at its head
poured upon their devoted columns, and unable, at any
point, to present a front Avhich Avas not instantly shat
tered and overwhelmed, they were at length, after a

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 55
gallant resistance and the most desperate efforts on the
part of their leaders, forced to yield, and the retreat
having speedily been turned into a rout, the slaughter
of the flying multitudes became terrific. This victory
enabled the king to free the entire Latin territory of its
Infidel foe, and he was enabled to return to Jerusalem,
to enjoy for a brief period that quiet and repose which
the gallantry of his daring army had so nobly earned.
As however, in so exposed a situation, his kingdom
was never long doomed to be at rest, we soon find him
once again in the field, with Raymond and his brave
Hospitallers at his back. On this occasion, Edessa had
been the point of attack, the Infidel forces being under
the command of Balak, one of the most powerful of the
Turkoman chiefs. This general, having succeeded in
surprising Jocelyn de Courtenay, Count of Edessa, had
routed his forces, and taken him prisoner. In order to
rescue his friend, and prevent the further advance of
Balak into the Latin territory, Baldwin hastened forAvard
by forced marches, accompanied by the Hospitallers and
such other forces as on the spur of the moment he could
gather together. Having, however, most imprudently
advanced upon a reconnoitring expedition Avith but a
slender escort, he was himself in his turn surprised by
the vigilant Balak, and doomed to share the same fate
as that of his friend Jocelyn. His army, overwhelmed
Avith confusion at this most untoward occurrence,
retreated precipitately, and the majority of them having
abandoned their colours, the Hospitallers found themselves
almost unsupported. They felt, therefore, that they could
no longer withstand the enemy in the open field, and
consequently threw themselves into the city of Edessa,
Avith a vicAV to preserving it from the grasp of the victo-
E 4

56 A HISTORY OF
rious Turkomans. In this conjuncture Eustace Garnier,
constable of Palestine, although a man far advanced in
years, collected a body of seven thousand men, the prin
cipal force of his small lordship of Sidon, and, joining to
them such of the Hospitallers as had been still left at
Jerusalem, he marched upon the foe, and, having com
pletely routed them, rescued both of the illustrious
prisoners Avho had fallen into the hands of Balak.
This victory was followed, at no distant period, by
tAVO others, the details of AA'hich it is scarcely necessary
here to relate; indeed the chronicles of those times are
filled with little else than a succession of petty enter
prises undertaken by the Latin chiefs, either for the pur
pose of protecting some point of their exposed frontier
from the inroads of their Mahometan foe, or, as was not
unfrequently the case, for the purpose of carrying the war
into the enemy's country. In all these struggles, the
Knights of St. John, under the leadership of the gallant
Raymond, bore their full share ; and the records of all
the historians of those times unite in according to their
services the full meed of praise which was their just
due. Indeed, but for their powerful assistance, the king
of Jerusalem would have found it utterly impossible to
have maintained himself against the accumulated pres
sure which was brought to bear upon him from without ;
and a bull issued by Pope Innocent II., in the year 1130,
speaks in such gloAving terms of the opinion in which
their services Avere held by the Avhole of Europe, that it
is little to be wondered at that a body of men, who
were rendering themselves so indispensable to the main
tenance of Christianity in the East, should receive every
privilege and remuneration which it Avas in the power
of grateful Christendom to bestow.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 57
It was about this time that a society somewhat similar
to that of St. John sprang into existence. The duties
of the Hospitallers, though in many ways attractive to
the chivalric temper of the times, partook, still, some
what too much of the sedate occupations of the monk,
to be altogether pleasing to the mind of the youthful
warrior. To devote his life to the protection of the
holy city, Avhich had been so recently torn from the
grasp of the Infidel, and, Avhilst engaged in that sacred
duty, to impose upon himself the obligations of poverty,
obedience, and chastity, was the desire of many a young
and enthusiastic mind; who, at the same time, did not
feel himself disposed to join in the less martial duties of
the Hospital, Avhich must have fallen to his lot, had he
assumed the white cross of St. John.
Under the influence of these feelings, a body of nine
French gentlemen, at the head of whom was Hugh de
Payens, joined themselves together in a voluntary asso
ciation, the object of which was to afford an escort to
those numerous bodies of pilgrims who Avere annually
resorting to the shores of Palestine. They were, at first,
under no religious restrictions, and had no distinct rules
laid down for their guidance, the entire duty being self-
imposed and voluntary ; and so it continued for several
years. The king of Jerusalem gave them, as a residence,
a portion of his royal palace adjacent to the temple of
Solomon ; on which account they became known as the
Knights of the Temple, or, as they Avere afterwards called,
Knights-Templars. Hugh de Payens, having been sent by the king of
Jerusalem to solicit assistance in the form of a new Cru
sade from the Pope, took the opportunity of presenting
his companions, and, having explained the objects of

58 A HISTORY OF
their association, requested his permission to establish a
religious and military Order similar to that of the
Hospitallers. The Pope referred them to the council of
Troyes, then in conclave, who, after having investigated
the matter, gave their warmest approval to the project
in the year 1128. Fortified with this sanction, Hugh
de Payens, before returning to the East, traversed the
greater part of Europe in search of candidates to enter
his new Order ; and, ere long, was enabled to return to
Palestine with a body of 300 young and ardent spirits,
selected from the flower of European chivalry. These
received e\"ery assistance from the parent institution of
St. John, who, until the receipt of donations had enabled
them to support their own establishment, had taken
them entirely under their protection. In fact, during
those early days, when Hugh de Payens and his eight
comrades constituted the whole force of the Order, they
had been armed, clothed, fed, and supported from the
funds of the Hospital. It was not long, however, before
the benefactions of the charitable, and the accession of
vast numbers of youthful aspirants to fame, placed them
completely on a footing of equality with the sister
institution. In giving his sanction to the Order, the Pope had
directed that they should wear a white robe adorned
Avith a red cross, in contradistinction to the Hospitallers,
who wore the black robe and white cross. The rival
establishments were, consequently, always afterwards
known as the white-cross knights and the red-cross
knights, respectively. Although they did not undertake
any charitable duties similar to those of the Hospitallers,
their regulations for the maintenance of their religious
voAvs were, if anything, still more severe. In order to

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 59
prevent the possibility of the transgression of the voav
of chastity, it Avas specially ordained in one of the sta
tutes, that they should never presume to kiss even their
own mothers ; and, as the only safe method of resisting
temptation was to avoid it, they Avere on no account
even to look in the face of a fair woman.
At about the same time another Order, Avhich in
its original institution Avas of greater antiquity than
even the Hospital of St. John, likewise became military.
I allude to the Order of St. Lazarus. It has been,
by some writers, asserted that the origin of this associ
ation may be dated as far back as the first century,
but it would be very difficult to authenticate this
statement. The earliest date at which it can, with
any certainty, be fixed, is the year 370 A,c,, when
a large hospital was established in the suburbs of Cesa-
rea, under the auspices of St. Basil, for the reception
and nursing of such as were suffering under the disease
of leprosy. The laws and customs of the East bearing
with the most frightful severity upon all who were
afflicted Avith this hideous and loathsome disorder,
who were entirely cut off from all intercourse with
their relations and the world, the establishment of
this hospital was hailed as a general boon, and the
Emperor Valens, as recorded by Theodoret, enriched
it with all the lands which he held within that pro
vince. Similar establishments soon sprang up in vari
ous other places in the East, and they all took St.
Lazarus as their tutelary saint ; their hospitals, in
consequence, received the name of Lazarets. One
of these hospitals was in existence at Jerusalem, at
the time of its capture by Godfrey de Bouillon. In
addition to its charitable organisation, it was also a

60 A HISTORY OF
religious Order, folloAving the rules of St. Augustin.
When, however, the conversion of the Hospitallers
into a military fraternity, and the establishment of
the Templars upon a similar footing, set the example
of combining knightly prowess with religious asceticism,
the monks of St. Lazarus, in their turn, donned the
coat of mail. For this purpose they divided them
selves into two separate bodies ; those among them
who AA'ere afflicted with a disease which cut them
off from communication with the rest of the world,
amongst whom was the Grand-Master, who, ex officio,
was required to be a leper, carried on the peaceful
duties of the hospital. Such of the Order as were
not lepers, and were consequently in a condition to
bear arms, joined the ranks of the kings of Palestine
in repelling the constant inroads of the Infidels. The
precise habit of these Knights has not been recorded,
but the cross upon their breast appears to have been
green, in contradistinction to the Avhite cross of St.
John and the red cross of the Templars.
Whilst these new bulwarks were thus arising round
the tottering kingdom of Palestine, the march of
events had been producing other changes, by Avhich
its fortunes were likeAvise much affected. Baldwin,
king of Jerusalem, of whom Ave have already made
mention, had tAvo daughters ; the younger of Avhora,
Alice by name, was married to Bohemond, Prince
of Antioch ; the elder was unmarried. At about
this period, Fulk, Count of Anjou, to distract the
grief into which he had been plunged at the death of
his wife, had undertaken a pilgrimage to the East;
and, whilst there, had rendered good knightly assistance
to Baldwin in his wars, having maintained a company
of a hundred cavaliers at his own expense. The king,

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. Gl
anxious to retain a leader of such wide-spread renoAvn
and such personal prowess in his service, offered to hira
the hand of his eldest daughter, Milicent, in marriage,
and promised to nominate him as his successor on
the throne of Jerusalem. These terms, being accepted
by Fulk, were faithfully adhered to by BaldAvin. The
marriage was solemnised with due pomp, and at the
death of the king, which took place in 1131, accele
rated by the undutiful conduct of his daughter Alice,
who considered herself injured by the settlement of
the kingdom of Jerusalem on her sister's husband,
Fulk of Anjou ascended the throne.
Prior to this event, however, Bohemond, the husband
of Alice, had been slain in action, leaving as sole heiress
a youthful daughter. By the promptitude and decision
of Baldwin and Fulk, the rights of this infant were pre
served intact, in spite of the machinations of its mother
on the one side, and its uncle Roger, duke of Apulia,
on the other, both of Avhom were intriguing for the
sovereignty of Antioch. Fulk, however, perceived that
it Avould be necessary, in order to insure the rights of
the young princess against the plots thus forming on
all sides to her detriment, that she should give her
hand to some Christian prince, of power and determina
tion sufficiently well-known to deter the ambitious pro
jects of her malcontent relations. With this view he
cast his eyes upon Raymond of Poitiers, youngest son
of William, duke of Aquitaine, and then resident at the
court of Henry I. of England. As negociator in this
delicate mission he selected Joubert, one of the Knights
of the Hospital, who, having in these stormy times gained
great celebrity both as a warrior and a statesman, was
gradually attaining the highest dignities of his Order.
Joubert acquitted himself of this mission in a manner

62 A HISTORY OF
Avhich amply justified this selection, Raymond accepted
the hand thus tendered to him Avith the empressement
of a true gallant, and hastened to throw himself at the
feet of his youthful bride, still a mere child.
Roger of Apulia, to Avhom the idea of any such
alliance was very distasteful, as being subversive of all
his hopes of aggrandisement, endeavoured to prevent
the gallant suitor from landing in Syria, Raymond,
however, Avith the sage counsel and assistance of
Joubert, succeeded in defeating all his machinations,
and, under the garb of merchants, they passed unsus
pected into the territories of Fulk, where they were
received Avith every demonstration of joy and the mar
riage solemnised without delay. Thus, by the judicious
services of a member of the Order of St, John, the
affairs of the principality of Antioch Avere once more
brought into a satisfactory condition, and the danger
of a civil embroilment, which at that moment Avould
have been most suicidal to the prospects of Christian
domination in the East, was avoided.
At about the same period a service of a somewhat
similar nature was undertaken by the Master, du Puy.
Alphonso I., king of Aragon and Navarre, had been
so impressed with the gallantry and devotion displayed
by the Knights of St. John, who, from their European
commanderies, Avere assisting him in his warfare against
the Moors, that, in a moment of religious enthusiasm,
he nominated the Knights of the Hospital and those of
the Temple joint heirs to his kingdom. Not long after
this munificent, and, to modern notions, ridiculous be
quest had been duly ratified, he met his death in battle
against his Moorish foes, in 1133, The grandees of his
two kingdoms were, however, by no means disposed to
carry into effect the dispositions which their late king

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 63
had made of his throne, but taking advantage of the
absence of the tAvo Masters in the East, and being at the
same time at variance with each other, they hastened to
nominate a separate successor for each of the two king
doms, thus totally ignoring the claims of the military
Orders, It was speedily decided by both fraternities,
that Raymond, accompanied by some of his Knights and
by deputies nominated to act on behalf of the Templars,
should at once proceed to Spain, to endeavour, as far as
Avas practicable, to carry into effect the dispositions of
the late monarch. The diplomatic skill which Raymond
brought to bear upon this occasion met with but a very
partial success ; more, however, owing to the extreme
Aveakness of his cause, than to any want of ability and
determination on his part. From the new king of
Navarre he could obtain no redress whatever, that prince
having taken the bull by the horns, and boldly ignored
the power of Alphonso to make any such disposition of
his kingdom. From the king of Aragon he did not receive
the same utter denial, that prince having so far recog
nised the claims of the Order, as to award them in resti
tution certain manorial rights within his territories, with
which compromise Raymond and his brother-deputies
Avere forced to be content, and returned to the Holy
Land. The first blow received by the Christian power in the
East, at the hands of the Saracens, was the loss of the
city of Edessa, captured by Zenghi, sultan of Mosul
and Aleppo, at that time the most powerful of the
Eastern princes. The Prince of Edessa, the son of
Jocelyn de Courtenay, was a man who, whilst inheriting
his father's possessions, was totally devoid of those
warlike qualities so necessary to the preservation of his
principality, and which had rendered the elder Cour-

64 A HISTORY OF
tenay so celebrated. Deeply plunged into dissipation
of all kinds, and a mere tool in the hands of worthless
favourites, he beheld his capital torn from his grasp
without an effort for its rescue ; and nothing but the
death of Zenghi, who was at that critical moment
assassinated in his tent, could have saved the rest of his
dominions. As it was, the loss of Edessa had materially shaken
the power of the Latins in the East, Most of those
gallant spirits who had contributed to the first estab
lishment and subsequent extension of the kingdoms of
Palestine Avere no more, and their successors retained
but little in common with them beyond their titles.
The only exception to this universal defection was the
king of Jerusalem, Baldwin IIL, who, with the assist
ance of the two military Orders, was the main support
of the tottering Latin kingdom, Baldwin no sooner
heard of the assassination of Zenghi, and the check
caused by this event to the victorious career of his
army, than he conceived the idea of once more regain
ing possession of the lost city of Edessa. He advanced
rapidly, at the head of such troops as he could collect,
conspicuous amongst Avhom rode the iron-clad warriors
of the Hospital. They were not, however, fated to be
successful in this undertaking ; although, when first he
appeared before the Avails of Edessa, the Christian
inhabitants of the town, rising against the Mahometan
garrison, opened their gates and admitted his forces.
Still his triumph was but of short duration. The
Mussulmans retreated into the citadel, Avithin whose
protecting bulwarks they Avithstood all his efforts to
dislodge them. Meanwhile Noureddin, one of the sons
of Zenghi, a young warrior destined to achicA^e a

THE KNIGHTS OP MALTA, 65
renown rivalling that of his father, advanced rapidly
to prevent the accomplishment of Baldwin's enterprise,
with an army so vastly superior to that of the king,
that the latter had no option left him but to retire with
the utmost possible rapidity. The whole Christian
population of Edessa accompanied him in his retreat,
and it required the most strenuous efforts on his part
to prevent Noureddin, who hung upon his flanks, from
utterly destroying them. Before they reached Jeru
salem a very large number had fallen victims to the
ferocious onslaughts of the Moslem foe, and the re
mainder were indebted for their safety principally to
the sleepless vigilance and dauntless bravery of Ray
mond and his band of warrior monks,* To prevent
* The origin of the legend of our Lady of Liesse, still held in the
highest veneration throughout the province of Picardy, dates from
this retreat. The story runs, that three Knights of the Hospital,
brothers, of a noble family in this province, were cut off from the
main body of the army by the Saracens, and made prisoners. Being
brought before the sultan at Cairo, he conceived an ardent desire to
convert them to Islamism, and for that purpose sent his daughter, a
beautiful maiden of eighteen summers, to hold religious discussions
with them. The hearts of these true Knights of the Cross were proof
against the fascinations of beauty, when employed to inveigle them
from their faith. Not so, however, was that of the young damsel.
Ismeria, so far from converting her antagonists, became herself con
vinced of the truth of the Christian religion, and expressed a most
earnest desire to behold an image of the Blessed Virgin, Whilst the
brothers were despairing how this wish could be accomplished, and
were praying to that saint for assistance, they suddenly discovered an
image, which had been miraculously introduced into their prison,
and which exhaled a most delicious fragrance, Ismeria instantly
consented to abandon her faith and adopt the tenets of Christianity,
and, carrying the holy image to her chamber, prostrated herself in
adoration before it. Whilst in this attitude, she was favoured with
a vision from the Virgin herself, who announced to her that she was
VOL, I. P

66 A HISTORY OF
the possibility of any further attempts of a like nature
on the part of the Christians, Noureddin, as soon as he
had regained possession of the city, razed its fortifica
tions and destroyed all its churches. It was thus that
Edessa passed for ever from under the Latin sway.
The loss of this important post caused the greatest
dismay throughout Palestine, Situated on its extreme
Eastern frontier, on the very confines of the desert, it
had served as a most .valuable outwork by which to
keep the Infidel at a distance from the heart of the
province, and its principal city, Jerusalem. The
greatest possible efforts were, therefore, made to insure
its recovery. As the military power of the state itself
appeared unequal to cope with Noureddin's forces
without external aid, the patriarch of Palestine and the
king of Jerusalem decided on despatching an envoy to
Europe for the purpose of soliciting an armed inter
vention from the Christian powers of the West ; and
the bishop of Zabulon was selected for this duty.
appointed to "release the Knights from prison, and at the same time
directed her to change her name, and assume that of Mary. At
break of day she proceeded to the prison, determined to obey the
divine mandate, and, to her amazement, discovered that the doors
were all open. The Knights accompanied her through the streets of
Cairo without being discovered ; and at length, after a weary day's
journey, they lay down together to rest. On awaking, they disco
vered, to their astonishment, that they were in Picardy, whither they
had been transported miraculously during their sleep, Ismeria still
retaining possession of her image. Whilst proceeding towards their
paternal mansion, the image fell from the hands of its fair bearer;
and on this spot a church was afterwards built, dedicated to our Lady
of Liesse. Ismeria was baptised, received the name of Mary, and
lived ever after with the mother of the Knights, performing all the
charitable duties of her new religion ; and at her death her remains
were deposited within the aisle of the church which she had founded.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 67
Eugene IIL, who at that time occupied the Papal chair,
entered warmly into the project, and directed the holy
Bernard, abbot of Clairvaux, to preach a new Crusade
throughout France and Germany. Bernard, who had
attained the highest veneration from the rigid austerity
of his life and the reforms which he had succeeded in
introducing into the discipline of the clergy, which had
become disgracefully lax, was at this time in the most
perfect odour of sanctity. He seconded the desires of
the Pope Avith all the strength of his fiery eloquence,
and, traversing the land from end to end, he called
upon all faithful Christians to come forward at this
hour of the Church's need to prevent the Infidel from
regaining those holy places which had been torn from
their grasp, at the cost of so much blood, by their
fathers. Louis VIL, at that time king of France, having in
one of his numerous wars committed some barbarities
of more than ordinary atrocity, resolved upon purchasing
an atonement for his misdeeds by heading the new Cru
sade, and, as a modern infidel writer has expressed it,
" proposed to slaughter some millions of Saracens as an
expiation for the murder of four or five hundred Cham-
pagnois." The German emperor, Conrad IIL, was in
no such pious mood, and it required the exertion of all
Bernard's powers of persuasion ere he could be induced
to join the holy enterprise ; eventually, however, after
the exhibition of certain miraculous powers on the part
of the abbot, he consented to lead the Crusaders of his
empire against the Turks, and, ere the close of the year
.1147, an army of nearly 200,000 men, under the joint
guidance of Louis and himself, had passed into the East.
The usual delays, interruptions, and treachery awaited
p 2

68 A HISTORY OF
them at the hands of the Greek emperor, Manuel Com-
nenus, who, although he was brother-in-law to Conrad,
exerted all his powers of dissimulation and deceit, which,
in common Avith the rest of his nation, he possessed in
a pre-eminent degree, to accomplish the destruction of
these unwelcome visitors. It will be unnecessary to
enter into any lengthened detail of this ill-fated expe
dition. After having lost the greater part of their
numbers in the mountain passes between Phrygia and
Pisidia, their shattered remnants eventually reached
Jerusalem. It Avas here decided in council, that greater advantage
would accrue to the Christian power in the East if the
town of Damascus could be brought under its domina
tion, than could be gained even by the recapture of
Edessa, The attempt was accordingly decided on, and,
eager to wrest from the hands of the Saracens a city
Avhich for nearly five centuries had groaned under their
yoke, the Christian forces soon arrived in front of the
devoted city. A strong body of the Knights of St.
John, as also of the Templars, accompanied this expe
dition, and, ranging themselves beneath the banner of
Baldwin, nobly maintained their well-earned reputation
for valour and martial discipline. After having nearly
succeeded in achieving the capture of the city, all the
advantages which had been gained by the valour of the
Hospitallers were lost by the treachery and jealousies
of some of the other leaders, who, instead of following
up and pushing to the utmost the success which had
attended the efforts of Baldwin and the military friars,
commenced to cabal as to the division of that spoil which
Avas destined never to fall within their grasp,
Noureddin having succeeded in throAving a reinforce-

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 69
ment into the city, the opportunity for successfully
attempting its capture was lost; they were compelled
therefore to raise the siege, and to return to Jerusalem.
Conrad and Louis shortly afterwards both left the Holy
Land, and thus in the year 1149 was this ill-fated ex
pedition brought to a close, in which the lives of 150,000
men had been sacrificed without the slightest benefit to
the Christian cause.
Noureddin, relieved from the fears which the advent
of so large a force had necessarily excited, no sooner
discovered that he had nothing further to dread from
the efforts of the Latins against his own territories, than
he once again carried the war into the enemy's country,
and in the year 1152 Baldwin found himself under the
necessity of advancing towards the principality of An
tioch, for the protection of his frontier. During his
absence from the seat of his government, two Turkish
princes, bearing the name of the Jarroquins, penetrated
by way of Damascus towards Jerusalem, and actually
arrived in presence of the holy city, which at that
moment was in an utterly defenceless condition, all the
disposable forces of the kingdom having accompanied
Baldwin in his march towards Antioch. The Turks
pitched their camp for the night on the Mount of OHves,
intending to force an entry into the city upon the fol
lowing morning ; in Avhich operation, under the peculiar
circumstances of the case, they anticipated little or no
difficulty. A few Knights of the Hospital had been left behind
by their brethren, for the purpose of conducting the
ordinary duties of the institution during their absence ;
and it was to the promptitude and determination with
which these gallant soldiers acted upon the occasion,
r 3

70 A HISTORY OF
that the holy city was indebted for its rescue from
destruction. Gathering together such of the citizens as
were capable of bearing arms, they made a sortie under
cover of the night, penetrated into the enemy's camp,
which they succeeded in setting on fire, and in the con
fusion which ensued completely overwhelmed the be
wildered Turks, putting vast numbers to the sword,
and compelling the remainder to take to flight. Bald
win, who had received intimation of the incursion by
which his capital was being threatened, was at that
moment hastening back to its rescue ; and falling sud
denly upon the fugitives, in the midst of their disorderly
flight, he completed their overthroAv, cutting them in
pieces, and pursuing them with such vigour, that those
who escaped the swords of his followers perished miser
ably in the Avaters of the Jordan. This gallant action,
by which the capital city of the kingdom of Palestine
Avas preserved from destruction by the daring and de
cision of a handful of the Knights of St. John, added
yet another title in virtue of which the Order might
claim the gratitude of Christendom.
Baldwin, encouraged by this great and most un
looked-for success, occurring as it did at a moment when
the numerous reverses which the Christian cause in
Palestine had sustained were having a most dispiriting
effect upon his followers, determined instantly to take
advantage of the panic, Avhich his triumph had created
amongst the Infidels, to carry the Avar into their ter
ritories. For this purpose he turned his eyes towards
the Saracen fortress of Ascalon. This city, which
was the key of Palestine toAvards the south, had been
the cause of endless anxiety to every successive Latin
king, on account of its close proximity to the fron-

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 71
tier of their territories. In order in some degree to
counterbalance this evil, and to keep in check the
constant inroads of its inhabitants, Milicent, Baldwin's
mother, had some years previously, during the tem
porary absence of her husband Fulk, rebuilt the
fortifications of the town of Beersheba, which, whilst it
was within the boundaries of the Christian territory, was
at no great distance from Ascalon. The garrisoning of
this place had been by her intrusted to the Order of St.
John ; a post of more danger than profit, but which
had nevertheless been accepted by Raymond with the
most gallant promptitude ; and had been ever since re
tained by the Order, throughout all the changes of the
period ; acting as a point of assembly, and a place of
refuge to the Christians of the district, whenever
menaced by the Infidel. For the same reason, Baldwin
III. had caused the fortifications of the ancient Philistine
city of Gaza to be restored ; and, as it was within
twenty miles of Ascalon, and consequently a post of
much importance, he intrusted its preservation to the
care of the Knights of the Temple, between whom and
the Hospitallers there existed a noble, generous, and
friendly rivalry ; but as yet no symptom of that dis
cord and jealousy Avhich were afterwards fraught with
such pernicious consequences, not only to themselves,
but also to the whole Christian power in Palestine.
Ascalon, considered by the Turks as one of their
most important fortresses, was situated on the eastern
shore of the Mediterranean, very much in the same
latitude as Jerusalem. Its fortifications, consisting of
a high rampart, supported at short distances by lofty
towers, formed a semicircle, which enclosed the town ;
the sea coast being its other boundary. It had always
F 4

72 A HISTORY OF
been guarded most zealously by its possessors ; and, in
order to insure its preservation, the caliph had caused
all its male inhabitants to be thoroughly trained in the
exercises of Avar ; and, that there might be no danger
of treachery on their part, or a want of fidelity to his
service, he had granted them numerous privileges and
indulgences, such as were not enjoyed by the inhabitants
of any other city in the East. Baldwin, however,
undeterred either by the strength of the place, or by
the number, discipline, and determination of the gar
rison, which may be said to have comprised the entire
male population, sat down before its walls, with an
army increased beyond its usual force by the accession
of a large body of pilgrims from Europe, and most
ample reinforcements from the military Orders.
Meanwhile Gerard, the lord of Sidon, with fifteen
small galleys, held possession of the sea, and intercepted
all passage of supplies into the beleaguered city. For
a period of five months the siege was carried on with
the utmost vigour, the Christians, harassed by constant
sorties on the part of the garrison, gained ground step
by step, at the cost of a constant struggle, and the most
fearful expenditure of life ; not a foot of ground being
yielded by the Saracens without a desperate resistance.
At length, however, after having overcome all the ob
stacles which the ingenuity of their defenders had cast
in their way, they reached to the foot of the rampart.
At this moment, when victory seemed within their grasp,
and it appeared as if they were about to reap the harvest
of all their desires, a powerful fleet, laden with rein
forcements and provisions, hove in sight. This fleet
Avas so far more numerous than that with Avhich Gerard
Avas blockading the entrance to the port, that he Avas

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 73
compelled to retire with the greatest possible haste, and
to leave the sovereignty of the seas in their undisputed
possession. This sudden and unlooked-for check caused
the utmost dismay throughout the Christian camp. A
general council of war was at once convened, in which
the propriety of an immediate abandonment of the
siege was advocated by the majority of those present.
Raymond, however, the Master of the Hospitallers, sup
ported by the patriarch of Jerusalem and some of the
other clergy, strenuously opposed this pusillanimous
counsel. He urged strongly upon the king the necessity
of prosecuting the siege ; assuring him that a retreat
would have the effect of damping the courage of his own
army, and proportionably raising that of the Infidels,
who would in their turn assume the offensive, and in all
probability advance to besiege Jerusalem, The king,
who himself fully sympathised with the ardour of
Raymond, decided upon continuing the siege, and the
bold language with which this counsel had been urged
served to stimulate the valour of those who had pre
viously been the most ready to advocate an immediate
retreat. The Templars constructed a lofty movable
tower, a practice very common in the sieges of those
times, which they advanced on wheels to within a short
distance of the walls of the town, and from the top of
which a draAvbridge could be lowered at will on to the
ramparts, so as to span the intervening space. In the
course of the night, the Turks threw down a quantity
of dry wood and other combustible material, Avhich they
ignited, trusting by this means to consume the tower.
A strong east wind having, however, set in, the flames
arising from the conflagration they had created were
blown away from the direction of the Templars' tower.

74 A HISTORY OF
against the walls of the town, and these were so much
calcined and destroyed by the action of the fire, that
before morning- a large portion had crumbled away,
leaving a practicable breach into the heart of the town.
What was the surprise of the Templars, to whom that
portion of the attack had been confided, to find, upon
the dawning of the next day, that instead of their tower
being reduced to asheSj as they had fully anticipated,
an entry into the town was thus unexpectedly opened to
their advance.
Their Grand-Master, after having carefully reconnoir
tred the breach and found its ascent perfectly practi
cable, directed a body of his Knights to attempt the
assault. These no sooner made their appearance within
the walls of the city, than the garrison, conceiving that
all was lost, fled with precipitation. Meanwhile the Tem
plars advanced with the most daring sang froid into the
very heart of the town, and had they been at this time
properly supported, its immediate capture must have been
insured : but, unfortunately, the avaricious and grasping
disposition of their Gf and-Master ruined the enterprise.
Instead of demanding succour from the troops in his
vicinity, he actually mounted the breach with the re
mainder of his Knights, and there kept guard to prevent
any other troops than those of his own Order from en
tering the town, trusting by these means to secure the
entire pillage of the place for their exclusive benefit.
The result was such as might have easily been foreseen.
The garrison, having recovered from the consternation
and panic into which they had been thrown on the first
appearance of the Christians, were not long in discover
ing the smallness of their foe, and, returning boldly to
the attack, drove them back with fearful slaughter, to

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 75
the point from whence they had succeeded in penetra
ting into the town, and hurled their whole force from
the breach, which they instantly secured from further
attack by means of a retrenchment and numerous barri
cades. The Avrath of Baldwin and the remainder of the
army at the loss of so signal an advantage, owing
to the avarice of the Templars, may readily be con
ceived ; nor indeed Avas this the first instance in which
that Order had, even at this early date, commenced
to evince a grasping spirit of acquisition and a greed of
wealth, which, ere long, was destined to draw down
upon them the antagonism, and eventually the revenge,
of Europe. On this, as on many other occasions,
their conduct formed so marked a contrast Avith that
of the Hospitallers, that comparisons by no means
favourable to them were drawn, and it was prompted
by such feelings as these, that the potentates who
had compassed the annihilation Of the Order of the
Temple were induced to transfer their wealth and
manorial acquisitions to the Hospital of St, John,
The garrison of Ascalon was so elated at the success
with Avhich this formidable attack had been repelled,
and found themselves so strengthened in numbers
by the reinforcements just landed from their fleet,
that they sallied forth the following morning, trusting
by one great victory to compel their foes to raise the
siege. The action lasted with varied success through
out the whole day. Baldwin withstood their attack
with the utmost firmness, and the Templars, anxious
to wash away in Saracen blood the stain which their
previous misconduct had fixed upon the Order, threw
themselves with the most reckless impetuosity upon

76 A HISTORY OF
their Moslem foe. After numerous alternations of
fortune the Infidels at length began to yield, and,
being vigorously pressed by the Hospitallers, their
retreat was speedily converted into a flight. The
battle now became a simple butchery, and a very
large proportion of the garrison fell by the edge of
the sword before their shattered relics could regain
the shelter of their walls.
Dismayed at the unexpected issue of this sangui
nary contest, the Infidels, on the following day, offered
to capitulate on the condition that their lives, and
property should be respected, which terms having been
accepted, the town was at once yielded to the Christians,
and its inhabitants transported to Laris, a town on
the borders of the desert, on the 12th of August, 1154,
This conquest had a most beneficial effect on the
position of the Latin kingdom of Palestine. In lieu
of the constant alarms and incursions from which
they had previously So frequently suffered at the hands
of the Turkish inhabitants of Ascalon, their frontier,
now that the town had fallen into the possession of
the Christians, became comparatively secure; and its
new holders, supported by the garrisons of Gaza and
Beersheba, were enabled to drive back their Infidel
foe into the heart of Egypt. The greatest joy was
expressed throughout Europe at this timely and wel
come acquisition, the glory of which Avas, in a great
measure, due to the warriors of the Hospital and their
chief, Raymond, who, when all else were proposing
to abandon the siege in despair, had succeeded, by
his eloquent and heart-stirring appeals, in inducing
them to persevere to the end. Pope Anastasius IV.
felt their claims on this occasion to be so strong, that

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 77
he issued a new bull, confirming and extending the
privileges of the Order already conceded by his pre
decessors. The publication of this bull created the utmost
jealousy amongst the regular clergy of Palestine, who
could not brook the exemption thus conceded to the
Order of St, John from all external ecclesiastical
supervision. Numerous complaints of the arrogance
and malpractices of the fraternity, some few of which
Avere doubtless founded in truth, but the vast majority
simply jealous fabrications, were forwarded by the
clergy, with the patriarch of Jerusalem at their head,
to the Papal chair. Amongst these grievances were
specified, that the elevation and magnificence of the
Church and Hospital of St. John exceeded that of the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre, close to which they had
been built; and also that the bells of the Hospital
Avere rung with violence, whenever service was per
forming in the before-mentioned church, to its annoy
ance and interruption. Many other complaints were
at the same time made, but they were mostly of the
same tenor, and framed in a similar spirit. The Pope
decided against the appellants, and confirmed the pri
vileges of the Order, thus stigmatising as vexatious
the opposition which had been raised against them.
This was the first occasion upon which the Hospitallers
had fallen into any dissension with the regular clergy ;
but, disputes having once arisen, they soon became
of constant occurrence, and the historian of the times
has to wade through long and wordy dissertations
on both sides, which clearly demonstrate that, where
ill feeling exists, the commonest events may be wrested
so as to bear a malicious and invidious interpretation.

78 A HISTORY OF
Amongst the most venomous and bitter of the eccle
siastical writers of that period stands WiUiam, arch
bishop of Tyre, who was himself an eyeAvitness of
most of the events which he records ; and the distorted
and garbled account he renders of the whole dispute,
and the rancorous abuse he lavishes on the Pope, whose
decision he does not hesitate to stigmatise as having
been influenced by bribery, show but too plainly the
animus with which he and the other clerical historians
of the age were imbued. These disputes embittered the
last days of Raymond du Puy, who, having himself esta
blished the military Order of Avhich he Avas the head,
had lived to see it settled upon a permanent basis,
honoured and revered in every corner of Europe,
wealthy and powerful from the innumerable benefac
tions and endowments it had received, and increasing
annually in the number of those Avho sought fame
in this world, and salvation in the next, beneath its
consecrated banners. There was, at this time, scarcely
a noble house in Europe of which some scion did
not bear the white cross upon his breast; and the
name of a Hospitaller of St, John had, during these
eventful years, become the synonyme for every chivalric
and martial virtue.
At length, in the year 1160, Raymond, having at
tained the patriarchal age of eighty years, during sixty
of which he had lived a life of constant warfare, not
one of which elapsed without bringing with it the
necessity for unsheathing the sword, breathed his last
in the Hospital of St, John, at Jerusalem, whither he had
retired to meet, in quiet and repose, that end which he
had so often braved at the hand of the Infidel, History
has recorded nothing of his character which would

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 79
not become a saint. Even William of Tyre, though far
from being a favourable witness to the good qualities
of the Hospitallers, speaks in the most glowing terms
of Raymond, whose virtues appear to have been so
pre-eminent, that even his enemies were compelled to
bear a reluctant testimony to their effulgence. A true
type of the soldier, the gentleman, and the Christian,
he lived to see his every desire accomplished, and the
Order in which all his ambition and all his hopes were
centred take its place amidst the chivalry of Europe,
upon the highest pinnacle reared by the hands of
fame.

80 A HISTORY OF

CHAP. IV.
EXPEDITION INTO EGYPT, — DEATH OP d'aSCALI. — EISE OP SALADIN.
 MELIER, THE APOSTATE TEMPLAH. — MURDER OP THE ASSASSIN
AMBASSADOR BY DU MESNIL. — DEATH OP BALDWIN IH. AND AC
CESSION OP BALDWIN IV. THE LEPER.  DEATH 01' JOUBERT. —
DISSENSIONS IN THE KINGDOM OP JERUSALEM.  ACCESSION OP GUT
DE LUSIGNAN. — BATTLE OP TIBERIAS. — LOSS OP JERUSALEM. — ITS
MAIN CAUSES.
The rule of the two Masters who succeeded Raymond
du Puy in the governance of the Order of the Hospital
was neither of long duration, nor distinguished by
events of such marked importance as to require much
detail in these pages.
During the brief administration of Auger de Balben,
his immediate successor, the king, Baldwin IIL, was
gathered to his fathers, universally regretted by his
subjects, who could ill spare the guidance of his com
manding genius. His dauntless bravery and prompt
decision in action, during a reign of twenty years,- had
been such as to elicit the most unqualified admiration,
not only from his friends and countrymen, but also from
those amongst the Infidels who had had most cause to
feel the power and vigour of his rule. He was suc
ceeded on the throne of Jerusalem by his brother
Almeric ; and this prince was indebted for his peaceful
accession to the good offices of Auger, his claims having

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 81
been the subject of the most violent and fierce disputes
amongst the nobles of the kingdom.
During the government of Arnaud de Comps, a
member of a noble family in Dauphine, who succeeded
Auger in 1162, an expedition into Egypt Avas under
taken by Almeric, accompanied by the Hospitallers and
Templars, his assistance having been demanded by the
caliph of Egypt, to oppose an invasion of that country,
which had been commenced by the Turkoman leader
Noureddin. In return for this assistance, Almeric suc
ceeded in extorting an annual tribute from the caliph.
This being the only result of the undertaking, the ex
pedition could scarcely be designated as one of im
portance ; but there were two events connected with
it which render it worthy of record. It was in
this war that the renowned Saladin, whose name after
wards became so terrible to the Christian cause, first
fleshed his maiden scimitar, and showed the earliest
gleams of that martial spirit which afterwards shone
with such dazzling lustre. It is recorded by many
historians, though the circumstance requires confirma
tion, that at the close of the siege of Alexandria, which
was brought to a termination by the declaration of
peace, Saladin, who had conducted the defence of the
place Avith the greatest skill, and the most intrepid
courage, demanded of the besiegers to receive the acco
lade of knighthood, which request, notwithstanding his
religion, was complied with, as a mark of their appre
ciation of the gallantry of his bearing. The other
event to which allusion has been made was the punish
ment of twelve Knights of the Temple for cowardice,
they having yielded the Cave, or Grotto, of Tyre, with
out sufficient resistance to the Infidels, For this offence
VOL. I. G

82 A HISTORY OF
the king caused them to be hanged ; an event Avhich
thrcAv so great a slur upon the reputation of the Order
that it has been studiously concealed by its panegyrists.
Arnaud de Comps died in 1168 ; and the unfortunate
Gilbert d'Ascali was appointed to the vacant office. He
had no sooner assumed the reins of government than
Almeric suggested the propriety of a second expedition
into Egypt, He had been so struck with the vast
wealth, and numerous other attractions of the country,
during his former incursion, that his ambition and his
avarice both prompted him to desire its acquisition. In
this project he was warmly seconded by the Greek
emperor of Constantinople, who was naturally desirous
of seeing as effectual a barrier as possible erected
between his frontier and the Infidels who surrounded
him. For this purpose he contributed a considerable
sum of money towards the equipment of the expedition
proposed by Almeric.
The propriety of tendering their assistance to the
king in this enterprise was warmly debated amongst the
Hospitallers in council. As the caliph of Egypt had so
lately entered into a treaty of peace with the Christians,
by which he had bound himself to the payment of an
annual tribute ; and, as this treaty had been scrupu
lously observed on his part, it was argued by some of
the more conscientious of their number, that they were
not justified in waging war against him. The Master,
however, strenuously supported the undertaking, and his
detractors assert that his object in so doing was to en
deavour to replenish from the spoils of Egypt the coffers
of his treasury, which he had dissipated from wanton
extravagance. The majority of the council, influenced
by his precept and example, and tempted by the pros-

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 83
pect of an easy conquest yielding an enormous booty,
since the Egyptians were far more wealthy than
martial, decided in favour of war, and authorised
Gilbert to raise money in their name, by loans from
the bankers of Genoa and Venice. With this assistance
the Hospitallers took into their pay a large auxiliary
force of mercenaries, and prepared to enter the field,
with a far more powerful array than they had on any
previous occasion been enabled to muster.
The Templars, Avhen called upon by Almeric to join
his ranks refused the request, after a lengthened dis
cussion ; alleging as a reason that they did not consider
it lawful to engage in warfare against a nation which,
although Infidel, had entered into a treaty of peace
with the Christians. Against the justice of this reason
ing there can be no argument ; but it is much to be
regretted that that Order, which could thus upon oc
casion be so scrupulous, was not more in the practice of
weighing the precise rectitude of their actions prior to
execution ; and there are not wanting ill-natured his
torians, who have placed on record, that the real motive
of this seeming generosity on their part arose from a
sense of jealousy, under the feeling that they could not
take the field with so imposing a force as that which
Avas serving under the white-cross banner of Gilbert
d'Ascali. Almeric was in no wise daunted at this secession on
the part of the Templars, and, with his brave Hos
pitallers in his train, led the way into Egypt. Their
first operation after entering the enemies' country was
the siege of Belbeis, which, although fortified and de
fended by a very numerous garrison, Almeric decided
upon carrying by assault, instead of the more ordinary
G 2

84 A HISTORY OF
but lengthy process of a regular siege ; involving, as it
generally did in those days, a tedious blockade. After
the most prodigious slaughter on both sides, for the
defence was conducted with determined and intrepid
obstinacy, the Christians succeeded in forcing their way
into the town ; and it is with shame that the historian
is compelled to relate, that in the savage cruelty of their
excesses, on this occasion, they even surpassed the worst
atrocities of the Infidel foe against whom they were
combating. In this town Almeric captured the son and the
nephew of the caliph, in addition to a number of other
prisoners of wealth and renown. It had formed one of
the terms in the agreement entered into between
Almeric and D'Ascali, that upon the capture of Belbeis
it should become the property of the Knights of St.
John ; and the king, true to his word, lost no time in
handing them over possession of this most important
acquisition. D'Ascali left a numerous garrison, com
posed of the followers of the Order, within its walls;
he himself, with the main body of his forces, accom
panying the king in the further prosecution of his
enterprise. Their next point of attack was Cairo, then as now the
principal city of Egypt. Whilst undertaking the siege
of this place, Almeric received an embassy from the
caliph, suing for peace, and offering the most tempting
bait, in the shape of an enormous ransom for his son
and nephew, who were prisoners in the hands of the
king. Almeric, whose besetting vice Avas avarice, was
not proof against the two millons of gold crowns Avhich
the ambassadors of the caliph were instructed to proffer;
and having received 100,000 crowns as a first instalment,

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 85
he consented to an armistice being established, whilst
the caliph should be collecting the remainder of the ran
som from the various parts of his dominions. This,
however, he had no intention whatever of doing ; but,
Avhilst deluding Almeric by the prospect of so rich a
booty, he had secretly sent envoys to his former foe
Noureddin, imploring assistance against the torrent of
Christian invasion, by which he Avas threatened with
destruction. This assistance Noureddin, for purposes of
his own, readily consented to render, and prepared at
once to send a powerful army to the rescue.
Meanwhile, the arrangements for the treaty with
Almeric were slowly progressing, and he was cajoled
into a continuance of his supine inactivity, by the be
lief that the caliph was busily engaged in fulfilling its
terms. The artifice was completely successful. Almeric
remained resting on his arms before Cairo, until at
length he Avas startled at hearing" that the army of
Noureddin Avas rapidly approaching to the rescue. He
lost no time in marching against them with all his forces;
trusting to be enabled to encounter them before they
had effected a junction with the Egyptians. Siracon,
however, Noureddin's general, having made a detour,
succeeded in passing the Christian array, and joined his
forces to those of the caliph in their rear. Under these
adverse circumstances, the king felt thaj; all prospect of a
conquest of Egypt was at an end ; and that it would not
be safe to remain longer in the country, in the face of
such superior forces as those which Siracon had brought
into the field. He therefore made good his retreat into
Palestine as rapidly as possible, and the Hospitallers
Avere compelled to evacuate Belbeis, the garrison of Avhich
joined the king's army as he passed.
G 3

86 A HISTORY OF
Thus ended this ill-fated expedition; the success of
Avhich was blasted purely by the avarice of Almeric.
That it was unprovoked in the outset, and consequently
unjustifiable, cannot be denied; and that, founded as it
was upon a breach of faith, it deserved no better fate, is
likcAvise true; still, had it been successful, it would
doubtless have tended much to prolong the duration of
Christian rule in the East, and would have struck a blow
at Infidel domination which they would have taken long
to recover. As it was, however, the Christians gained
nothing but obloquy in return for their vast expenditure
of treasure ; and, as the sequel Avill show, brought doAvn
upon themselves a foe Avho eventually succeeded in
completely wrecking the poAver of the Latin kingdom of
Palestine. The friends of Almeric, for in spite of his errors he
had many who were Avarmly attached to his person and
fortunes, were not* loth to screen his misconduct by
throwing the entire blame on Gilbert d'Ascali. This
unfortunate Knight appears, throughout the transaction,
to have been more sinned against than sinning. He had
been induced by the arguments of the king, aided doubt
less by the ambitious promptings of his own heart, to
join in the conquest of Egypt. That the attempt would
be successful, appeared in the outset most probable; and
that, when achieved, it Avould prove a strong bulwark of
defence to the feeble kingdom, was also most indubitable.
With this view, and by no means foreseeing that the
avarice of the king Avould shipwreck the entire project,
he had entered into it with all his energies, and had
pledged the credit of his Order to the utmost Hmits to
insure its successful prosecution. It is, however, very
difficult to argue in the face of a failure ; and Gilbert, on

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 87
his return to Jerusalem, found himself assailed on every
side, by the most bitter invectives, and the most virulent
antagonism. His proud spirit sank under the abuse
Avhich, whether merited or not, Avas lavished upon him
with unsparing rigour, and he resigned the Mastership
of his Order in despair. He shortly after left the Holy
Land, and returned to Europe, to hide his griefs in re
tirement and solitude ; and, Avhilst there, he was drowned
in the act of crossing from France to England. From
this fact Vertot has endeavoured to prove that he must
have been a native of the latter country; and this sur
mise on his part receives a certain amount of sanction,
from the fact that his name is of Norman origin, and
would therefore very probably have belonged to an
English knight of that period.
On his resignation, a brother named Gastus was
raised to the dignity of Master, but his rule Avas short ;
and, to use the stereotyped expression of the Avriters of
those times, he has left no other record of himself but
his name.
Joubert, the sixth Master of the Order, was elected at
the death of Gastus in 1169. Prior to his accession to
the office, great changes had been taking place in the
countries which surrounded the kingdom of Judea. As
has been already shown, Noureddin, at the request of
the caliph of Egypt, had sent to his assistance an army
commanded by his general Siracon. Saladin, whose
name has likewise been mentioned, was nephew to
Siracon, and accompanied him into Egypt. It had
formed no part of Noureddin's plans to assist the caliph
of Egypt in expelling the Christians from his dominions
Avithout the prospect of some ulterior benefit to himself;
and he had given private instructions to Siracon, in
G 4

88 A HISTORY OF
despatching him thither, that he Avas to take advantage
of any opportunities which might offer, to seize upon
the government of the country. These instructions were
faithfully carried out ; but Siracon did not live to enjoy
the fruits of his exertions, for he had only just esta
blished himself in power Avhen death brought all his
wiles and ambitious projects to a close. His nephew
Saladin, hoAvever, carrying out the operations com
menced by his uncle, succeeded in bringing them to a
favourable termination, and having made away Avith the
caliph of Egypt, whom he caused to be strangled in his
bath, assumed the rule of the country. Noureddin
having also about this time died, Saladin married his
widow, and, throwing off his allegiance to the son of his
late master, established himself not only as an inde
pendent sovereign of Egypt, but also as ruler over all
those territories formerly governed by Noureddin.
His power had become so threatening to the Chris
tians, that Almeric had good cause to rue the ambition
Avhich had called so potent an enemy into the field, and
the avarice which had prevented his being enabled to
crush him in the outset. In order to check his suc
cessful career, Almeric proceeded to Constantinople, to
seek assistance from the Greek emperor, he having
already failed in his endeavours to obtain the aid of a
new Crusade, his proposals for Avhich had been but
coldly received by the powers of Western Europe,
During his absence from Jerusalem, he vested the go
vernment of his kingdom in the hands of Joubert the
Master of the Hospital, and his fellow-dignitary the
Grand-Master of the Temple. He was received by the
emperor Avith the most flattering promises of assistance,
which, hoAvever, Avere but very partiallly realised ; and,

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 89
compelled to be content with the assurances he had ex
torted, he returned to his government, where his pre
sence was most urgently required to meet a ncAV foe,
Avho had sprung from the midst of his own kingdom,
and was no other than an apostate Templar.
This recreant knight, whose name was Melier, was
brother to Thoro, prince of Armenia ; a potentate who
had always continued firm in his alliance with the Chris
tian rulers of Palestine. At the death of Thoro, the
crown had descended to his nephcAv Thomas, son of his
only sister. Melier, however, prompted by his ambition
to usurp a throne, abandoned the habit of his Order, re
nounced Christianity, and, allying himself with Saladin,
drove Thomas from his territories, and installed himself
as Prince of Armenia. From this moment he waged an
unceasing warfare with his Christian neighbours, and
his cruelties and atrocities surpassed even those of his
Mahometan allies. Towards the Hospitallers and Tem
plars he exhibited the most peculiar and savage ran
cour; such of either Order as fell into his hands being
butchered in cold blood, or else sold into slavery in the
territories of Saladin.
Almeric, however, was not the prince to suffer this
thorn to remain in the side of his kingdom ; and the
Hospitallers and Templars vied with each other in their
anxiety to revenge themselves upon this unworthy mem
ber of a military Order, for the cruel death of so many of
their brethren. Melier soon found himself unequal to
cope with the forces brought against him, and Avas igno-
miniously driA^en from the territories he had so basely
usurped, to seek a refuge under the protection of his
ally Saladin. This blot on the fair fame of the Tern-.
plars could not justly be laid to the blame of the Order ;

90 A HISTORY OF
since, until human nature shall realise a far higher
pitch of perfection than it has ever yet been enabled to
attain, there will always be found individual backsliders,
even in the midst of the most virtuous communities.
It must not be forgotten, that, even amongst the twelve
disciples of our blessed Lord, one traitor found admis
sion ; nor did his foul treason cast the shadow of a stain
upon his eleven brethren, who afterwards sealed their
faith with their blood. It happened, however, unfor
tunately for the Order, that this was not the only event
which occurred at that particular period calculated to
bring their institution into disrepute, since at the same
time another offender arose in their ranks, who, far from
being disavowed by his fraternity, was by them screened
from the punishment due to his crimes, to the utmost
extent of their power.
In the mountainous country contiguous to Tripoli
dwelt a numerous and fanatical tribe named Assassins*,
* The name of Assassin was derived from the Persian word hassas-
sin, signifying a dagger, which was the only weapon usually worn by
the members of this extraordinary tribe. The peculiar and unenviable
notoriety which these fanatics obtained, has caused the name to be since
generally adopted to designate a murderer. In proof of the extraordi
nary lengths to which their devotion and blind obedience to their chiefs
was carried, a very characteristic anecdote is recorded, which, in its
Startling horror, appears scarcely credible to modern readers. It is
said that, upon one occasion, the Sultan of Damascus despatched an
envoy to the Old Man of the Mountain, demanding the payment of
an annual tribute, under threat of an immediate invasion. The
prince of the Assassins, desirous of exhibiting to the envoy the extent
of his power over his subjects, in his presence, ordered one of the
tribe to cast himself from the top of the tower, and at the same time
directed another to plunge a dagger into his heart. The command
was in both cases instantly obeyed. The prince, turning to the
envoy, then informed him that he had sixty thousand subjects, every

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 91
whose chief was known as the Old Man of the Mountain,
Their name Avas mentioned with terror throughout the
East, owing to the peculiarities of their tenets. Their
religion, if religion it can be called, consisted in a blind
obedience to the will of their chief, even Avhen it led to
certain death. Assassination was held amongst them
to be a cardinal virtue, more especially when performed
by his directions. The monarch on his throne, in the
midst of his court, and surrounded by the most faith
ful guard, was not secure from the dagger of one of
these Assassins, Avho was sure never to fail in the at
tainment of his object, even though it involved the
sacrifice of his own life. The dread in Avhich this tribe
was held prompted all the Mahometan leaders of the
East to cultivate friendly relations with them ; and they
were in the receipt of subsidies, in the form of tribute,
from nations far more powerful in point of numbers
than themselves.
The Templars, however, of the province of Tripoli,
fearlessly waged Avar against them, heedless of the ready
dagger Avith Avhich they were wont to defend their
privileges. They, on their side, Avere not slow in per
ceiving, that, in an institution organised like the military
Orders, the death of the chief had no effect in changing
the spirit of the government ; a successor was at once
named, by whom the objects which his predecessor had
commenced were pertinaciously carried out. Their
favourite mode of defence being thus comparatively
useless, they felt unequal to cope Avith the disciplined
one of whom would perform his behest with the same blind obedience
as that of the two men whose fate he had just witnessed. The-old
historians quaintly enough add, that the Old Man of the Mountain
never heard anything more of the sultan's demand for tribute.

92 A HISTORY OF
energy and martial ardour of the Templars ; and, even
tually, were glad to purchase a peace by the payment
of an annual contribution to the coffers of the Order.
About this time, however, the prince of the Assassins,-
anxious to evade the payment of this impost, and not
over nice as to the form of religion which he professed,
sent an ambassador to the king of Jerusalem, with an
offer, on the part of himself and all his tribe, to be bap
tised into Christianity. Almeric was overjoyed at this
proposition, which promised to form a most Avelcome
addition to the Christian population of the East ; and
the ambassador VA^as dismissed on his homeward journey
laden Avith presents, and accompanied by a guard
from the king, after having received his pledge that the
payment of the tribute should cease to be enforced.
This undertaking on the part of the king was very
distasteful to the body of the Templars, whose grasping
avarice led them infinitely to prefer the payment of
tribute from an Infidel nation, rather than their conver
sion to the Christian faith, in a case when the latter
alternative involved the loss of the said payment. They,
therefore, decided upon using every means Avithin their
power to break off the negotiation and prevent its being
brought to a successful termination. In furtherance of
this project, one of their number, named Du Mesnil,
Avhether with the knowledge and consent of his brethren
has never been clearly established, Avaylaid the ambassa
dor, and as soon as he had parted from the guard fur
nished for his protection by Almeric, on the borders of
Tripoli, fell upon him and murdered him in cold blood,
Almeric Avas, Avith justice, deeply irritated at this foul
breach of national faith, perpetrated on the person of
an ambassador who Avas under the protection of his own .
safe-conduct ; and demanded that Du Mesnil should be

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 93
instantly handed over by the Templars to be dealt with
as his crime deserved. This the Order positively refused
to do ; thus identifying themselves with the crime which
had been committed, and lending the sanction of their
name to cover as atrocious and cold-blooded a murder
as any it was possible to conceive. Almeric was not,
however, to be stopped in his purposes of retribution by
any interference on the part of the Templars, whose
numerous acts of misconduct and outrage were rapidly
bringing them into extreme disrepute, but seizing upon
Du Mesnil by force he threw him into prison, and would
doubtless have wreaked a bitter vengeance upon him,
had not his own career been cut short by death, leaving
a youthful son to succeed him on the throne.
Baldwin IV,, surnamed the leper, owing to the
loathsome disease with which he AA'as afflicted, was in
capacitated, both mentally and bodily, from swaying
with energy a sceptre requiring such constant exercise
of vigilance, determination, and bravery, as did that of
Jerusalem, During his brief reign, hoAvever, in those
intervals Avhen a temporary relaxation of his disease
enabled him to take the field in person, he several times
endeavoured to check the ravages Avhich Avere being com
mitted by Saladin on his frontier provinces ; and on one
occasion he succeeded in surprising that renowned chief
tain, and, falling upon his camp at night, routed his army
so completely, that Saladin himself had a narrow escape
of falling into his hands.
In the following year, viz. 1175, Baldwin endeavoured
to establish a frontier fortress on the banks of the Jor
dan, within the limits of Saladin's dominion. To prevent
the accomplishment of any such attempt, that prince
once more advanced to oppose the Christian forces; and
having bj^ his superior strategical skill lured them into

94 A HISTORY OF
an ambuscade, he fell upon them with all his forces
whilst entangled in a defile, and a complete rout of the
whole army was the result. In this disastrous affair
the Hospitallers were nearly cut to pieces, their Master,
Joubert, covered with wounds, having narrowly escaped
with life, by swimming his horse across the Jordan.
His end, which occurred in 1179, has been differently
recorded ; some writers attribute it to grief at the truce
which was in that year signed between Saladin and the
Christians, and at the decadence of the unfortunate king.
dom of Palestine, which, year by year, was shorn of some
one of its remaining bulwarks. The greater number,
however, assert that he came by his death in an unfair
manner. Having fallen into the hands of one of Saladin's
generals, at the capture of Margat, the defence of which
place had been conducted by him and the Knights of
his Order with the most determined obstinacy, he was
barbarously starved to death in prison.
The council of the Order, on his decease, filled the
vacancy by the election of Roger Desmoulins to the post
of the seventh Master. On his accession he found the
Christian territory not only threatened by the poAver-
ful foe on her frontier, but at the same time torn and
divided by intestine discord. It was true that a truce
had been concluded with Saladin, but there appeared no
prospect of its continuing for any length of time, and
the Christians felt that after its close they would be
quite unequal to cope with his aggressiA'e ambition.
They decided therefore upon sending ambassadors to
Europe to solicit the assistance of a third Crusade, and
for this purpose they selected Heraclius, patriarch of
Jerusalem, and the two chiefs of the Temple and Hos
pital.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 95
Shortly after their arrival in Europe, the Grand-Master
of the Temple died, leaving Heraclius and Desmoulins
to perform the remainder of their embassy alone. For
this purpose they in turn visited the courts of Pope
Lucius IIL, of Philip II. of France, and of Henry II. of
England; from all of whom they received a superabun
dance of promises, but very scanty aid in any more mate
rial form. At the court of Henry IL, indeed, the patriarch
Heraclius so far forgot the respect due to the monarch,
that he had the audacity to upbraid the king in the most
insolent terms for his lukewarmness in the good cause ;
to which injudicious act on his part the failure of their
efforts in England may mainly be attributed. It is true,
that, throughout both the kingdoms of England and
France, a Crusade was preached, accompanied by the
grant of indulgences from the Pope, but it met with so
little earnest support from the monarchs of those
countries, that it proved decidedly futile, and the dis
appointed ambassadors returned to the East in despair.
Here they found that the disease with which Baldwin
was afflicted had so far gained the mastery over his
enfeebled frame, as to render him incapable of the most
ordinary functions of government. Under these circum
stances he had associated with himself, in the rule of
the kingdom, a French cavalier named Guy de Lusignan,
who had married his sister Sabilla, the widow of the
Marquis of Montferrat, This choice, however, was very
unpalatable to his nobles, who with justice despised Guy,
as a man more suited to shine in the court than in the
camp ; and BaldAvin found himself compelled to retract
the authority he had vested in him. In this dilemma
he formed the resolution of resigning his crown alto
gether ; and, in execution of his design, nominated his

96 A HISTORY OF
nephew, Sabilla's son by her first lord, as his successor;
and appointed Raymond, Count of Tripoli, to act as
regent during his minority.
Not long after this change Baldwin died, and the
regent continued to maintain his sway until an event
occurred Avhich overthrew all his hopes and projects.
The infant son of Sabilla died suddenly, not without
grave suspicions of foul play on the part of his mother ;
suspicions which subsequent events tended materially to
strengthen. The fact of his death was retained a secret
within the palace where it had occurred for several
days, whilst Sabilla and her husband were engaged in
buying over to their interests the patriarch of Jerusa
lem and the Grand-Master of the Templars. They at
the same time made the most flattering overtures to
Roger Desmoulins, in Avhose charge, coupled with
the Grand-Master of the Temple, the regalia of the
kingdom had been placed ; but in this attempt they
Avere completely foiled, and he sternly refused to resign
the jewels into their hands. The party which Sabilla
had gained over to her interests proved, however, too
powerful for opposition ; and she eventually succeeded
in causing Guy and herself to be proclaimed king and
queen of Jerusalem ; in which disposition of the throne
her nobles were reluctantly forced to acquiesce.
Saladin no sooner discovered that a quarrel had
sprung up between the Christian magnates, for Ray
mond had retired in dudgeon to Tripoli, than he or
ganised an expedition for the invasion of the perturbed
kingdom, and laid siege to Acre. Previously, however, to
its investment, a reinforcement from the military Orders,
commanded by their respective Grand-Masters, threw
themselves into the place, Desmoulins, without Avaiting

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 97
to be blockaded Avithin its walls, collected his forces, and
having armed such of the inhabitants as he deemed
capable of performing military duty, he sallied forth
at their head, under the cover of night. The sortie was
at first perfectly successful. The Infidels, taken by
surprise, and unable in the obscurity of the night to
distinguish the numbers of the enemy, suffered them
selves to be slaughtered helplessly in their camp ; but
Avhen day broke, and the comparatively iusiguifioaut force
of the Christians became perceptible, Saladin succeeded
in rallying his battalions, and a regular combat ensued,
A\"ithout any decisive advantage on either side ; but, as it
resulted in his raising the siege of the toAvn, the victory
maA^ Avell be assiajned to the Christians.
The success, however, was purchased at the cost of a
terrific slaughter on their part ; chief among the slain
being Roger Desmoulins, the Master of the Hospital,
whose body Avas found upon the gory plain, surrounded
by a pile of Saracens, Avho had fallen victims to the
prowess of his arm, ere he himself had receiA'ed his
death-wound. The country being in a state of actiA'e war, the council
lost no time in nominating a successor to their deceased
chief; and their choice fell on Garnier de Xapoli, who
thus became the eighth Master of the Order, a dignity
Avhich he occupied for a very few months, before he was
doomed to fall, like his predecessor, beneath the scimitar
of the Infidel. Saladin, haA^ng through the judicious
conduct of Roger Desmoulins been foiled in his attempt
upon Acre, turned his arms against Tiberias, a city of
AA'hich Raymond, Count of Tripoli, was lord in right of
his wife.
VOL. I. H

98 A HISTORY OF
This prince had, prior to these events, become re
conciled to Guy de Lusignan, through the joint good
offices of the chiefs of the military Orders, the Grand-
Master of the Temple being a firm ally and steadfast
adherent of the king ; and the Master of the Hospital,
though by no means friendly to the government of Guy,
acting under the conviction that, in the then desperate
state of affairs, it was destruction to the prospects of the
kingdom that there should be any dissensions among
its chiefs : they had, therefore, persuaded Raymond to
forget his wrongs, and to give the Aveight of his recog
nised military genius for the safety of Palestine,
When Raymond heard that Saladin Avas engaged in
the siege of Tiberias, he magnanimously advised the
king to leave the city to its fate, and endeavoured to
persuade him to persevere in a strictly defensive line of
conduct, averring that the Saracen army could not long
subsist in its neighbourhood, owing to the extreme
scarcity of water and provisions. Other and less
sagacious counsels, however, prevailed. It was pointed
out by the Grand-Master of the Templars, that if they
collected all their forces, and fell upon the enemy whilst
he was engaged in his siege operations, they might end
the Avar by a single success; and it was not improbable
that even Saladin himself might fall into their power.
He also endeavoured to prejudice the king against the
advice of Raymond, suggesting that he was in traitorous
intercourse Avith Saladin, and was counselling such a
mode of action as he conceived most likely to betray
the kingdom. The king, who well knew the extent of
the provocation Raymond had received at his hands,
listened readily to the suggestions of the Templar, and,
collecting all his available forces, marched in the.di-

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 99
rection of Tiberias, determined to stake everything on
the issue of a single field.
It was in vain that Raymond pointed out the extreme
danger of this project, in vain did he give every
rational advice as to the advance of the army ; the ear
of the king had been poisoned against him, and all his
Avarnings were disregarded. By the advice of the
Templar, who throughout Guy's reign appears to have
been his evil genius, a spot was selected for encamp
ment which the total absence of water soon rendered
untenable. The Christian host now began to feel the
ill-effects of that drought which the Count had prophe
sied would have overcome the Moslems, had they been
left to themselves. Feeling it impossible to remain
where he was, Lusignan advanced into the plain of
Tiberias, to give battle to the Saracens,
The most powerful efforts were made, by the eccle
siastics who had accompanied the army, to excite the
enthusiasm of the soldiery. The portion of the true
cross, which had been so long held in the most profound
veneration at Jerusalem, was present with the army ;
having been intrusted to the special guardianship of the
military Orders; and, on this eventful occasion, was
planted on an eminence, where throughout the day it
served as a rallying point to the Christian host. The
main object for which the king had decided upon giving
immediate battle to the Saracens having been the want
of water, since throughout the long summer's night not
one drop of that precious liquid had been procurable,
either for man or beast, the first efforts of his army
were directed to the accomplishment of that object-
The Lake of Tiberias, at a distance of two miles, lay
calmly glittering in the sunshine, in the rear of the
H 2

100 A HISTORY OF
Infidel host ; and between it and the Christian army,
now parched with thirst, and maddened by the tempting
prospect, were drawn up the dense masses with which
Saladin was prepared to resist their advance. In the
van of the army stood the brothers of the Hospital and
Temple, ready at the appointed signal to dash at their
foe, and regardless of numbers to hew a pathway to the
much desired lake. On they marched in firm array,
and in a few moments were hidden amidst the cloud of
Infidels by whom they were surrounded. In vain,
hoAvever, was the most desperate valour displayed by
both fraternities. Amongst the numerous vices of
Avhich the latter Order was accused, that of cowardice
rarely held a place ; and on this important field, with
the fate of Christendom in the East depending on their
proAvess, they emulated with a generous rivalry, un-
tinged by any meaner feeling, the deeds of their brothers
of the Hospital. Side by side, these mailed warriors
of the Church hurled themselves against the serried
phalanx of the Infidel, and the fierce Templar war-cry,
rising high above the din of battle, was re-echoed in
gallant unison with that of the Hospital.
All, however, was in vain. The number of the
Saracen host was too great for even their gallantry
to overcome ; and when led by a general of such skill
and renown as Saladin, those numbers were used to '
the greatest possible advantage. As the day wore on,
the impetuosity of the Christian attacks became less
and less vehement, and the stubbornness of their re
sistance less determined; until at length, dispirited,
exhausted, and broken, they yielded the field. Saladin
pressed his victory to the uttermost, and, allowing the
retreating army no breathing time for rallying their

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 101
disordered ranks, he poured his wild hordes on their
broken columns, scattering them like chaff before the
Avind, and thus utterly completed their overthrow.
With this disastrous fight ended every hope of Chris
tian domination : contrary to the advice of Raymond,
Guy had staked the whole poAver of his kingdom on the
issue of a single field, and the cast of the die had
proved adverse ; thus not only leaving Saladin master
of the day, but his advance to the gates of Jerusalem
totally unopposed. The king, the Grand-Master of the
Temple, and several other lords of note fell into his
hands ; and Garnier, whose deeds of valour throughout
the day had proved him well worthy of his exalted
station, met the end of a true soldier of the cross,
being so desperately wounded during the action, that
he only survived long enough to reach Ascalon, where
he died.
The whole of the misfortunes attending this ill-fated
and ill-advised expedition have been very generally,
but very wrongfully, laid to the charge of the Count
of Tripoli. Feeling that the provocation he had re
ceived had been very great, and knowing that in the
first moments of his wrath he had, in retiring to Tripoli,
entered into communication with Saladin, it has been
assumed that, throughout the operation, he was act
ing the part of a double-faced traitor. Some historians,
not content Avith affixing this stigma upon his fame,
actually go the lengths of asserting that he had pri
vately become an apostate to his religion; and that
after his death, whilst preparing his body for burial, it
was discovered he had undergone the ceremony of cir
cumcision. Without attempting to refute this latter
statement, the absurd malice of which is borne upon
H 3

102 A HISTORY OF
its face, a little careful inquiry proves that the whole
accusation is nothing more than a vile fabrication.
The advice which he gave to the weak and pusillani
mous Guy was always that of a sage and judicious
counsellor ; but being under suspicion, and possessing
a most virulent enemy in the person of the Grand-Master
of the Templars, who made up in rashness and ob
stinacy, for Avhat he was deficient in jtidgment ; his
counsel was disregarded, the kingdom was lost, and
he himself has fallen under the obloquy of partial
historians, for a misfortune Avhich he exerted all his
powers of argument to avert. His death, occurring
conveniently enough for them shortly afterwards, ren
dered him the most suitable person upon whom to
cast the blame.
The loss of the Hospitallers, on this occasion, was
fearfully large; since, in addition to the number of
those who fell nobly fighting on the field of battle,
such as Avere taken prisoners at its close were cruelly
murdered by order of Saladin, he having previously given
them the option of saving their lives by abjuring their
faith, and adopting the tenets of Islamism : a proffer
Avhich was rejected by these Christian Knights with
virtuous disdain; and thus, in their case, a life spent
in combating for the establishment of the true faith,
was sealed by the death of a martyr in the same
holy cause.
The few remaining members of the Order, as soon
as the account of the sad disaster of Tiberias and the
fate of Garnier had reached them, assembled in sorrow
and despair, once more to perform the duties of elec
tion, and, as it appeared to them, most probably for
the last time. With some difficulty they persuaded

t ,1

r-1

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 103
Ermengard Daps, on whom their choice had fallen,
to accept the onerous post, and, this duty accomplished,
the entire body prepared to meet their fate in the
desperate struggle Avhich noAV appeared imminent.
Saladin lost no time in reaping the fruits of his vic
tory. The various fortresses on his route, denuded of
their garrisons, which had aided in swelling the ranks
of Guy's army, now that that army had vanished from
before his path, became an easy prey ; and, without any
opposition being offered to his advance, he ere long made
his appearance in front of the walls of Jerusalem. A
resistance of fourteen days, prolonged for that length of
time purely by the desperation of the defenders, who
chose rather to fall beneath the sword of the Infidel than
tamely to yield that sacred city gained by the cost of so
much blood, ended in the capitulation of the place in Octo
ber, 1187. In this hour of his triumph, Saladin behaved
Avith a generosity hardly to have been expected from a
Saracen chief. Instead of repeating the scenes of car
nage which had disgraced the entry of the Christians
on that selfsame spot, Saladin consented that the mili
tary and nobles should be permitted to proceed to Tyre,
and he fixed a ransom for the population of the town at
the rate of ten crowns per man, failing the payment of
which they were to become slaves. In many instances,
at the supplication of the queen anci her retinue, he
Avas induced to forego the payment of this ransom, and
the Hospitallers freely lavished their remaining treasure
in purchasing the hberty of many others, so that the
number of those who were eventually doomed to slavery
was comparatively small. He also, in consideration of
the charitable offices in which they Avere employed,
permitted ten of the fraternity of the Hospital to remain
H 4

104 A HISTORY OF
for a limited period within the city, to complete the
cure of those sick who were under their charge.* Thus,
* Vide Appendix, No. 9. Saladin appears to have held the Order
in the highest possible esteem, and an anecdote is recorded of him,
which, though not bearing with it the impress of probability, marks
the feeling with which he is considered to have regarded his relentless
foes of the Hospital. Having heard of the boundless liberality and
anxious care lavished by the brethren upon all who sought the shelter
of their institution, whether Christian or Infidel, Saladin determined
to test the truth of this report. He therefore disguised himself in the
garb of a Syrian peasant, and in that guise entered Jerusalem, and
presented himself at the doors of the Hospital, as a suppliant for their
bounty. He was received at once, and his apparent wants carefully
attended to. In pursuit of his design, he lay still the whole day, and
rejected all offers of food, alleging that he was unable to partake of
any nourishment. The following day he continued the same line of
conduct, so that the charitable brothers began to fear lest he would
starve to death. On the third morning, being again warmly pressed
to partake of some food, and being requested to name anything which
could provoke his appetite, he, after much apparent hesitation, at length
suggested that the only food for which he had any fancy would be a
piece of the leg of the Master's favourite horse, cut off in his presence.
The brotliers were at first struck with consternation at such an extra
ordinary request, but the rules of their Hospital were most rigid upon
the point of yielding, to tlie utmost possible extent, to the fancies of
their patients. They therefore at once communicated the wish to
the Master, who, loth as he was to lose his favourite charger, hesitated
not a moment in ordering him to be taken to the Hospital, there to
undergo, in the presence of the unfortunate patient, the amputation
necessai-y to gratify his inconvenient desires. All was now ready ;
the butcher stood prepared to strike the limb from the unfortunate
animal, and Saladin became convinced that the fraternity suffered
nothing to interfere with what they considered the sacred duties of
hospitality, no, not even the favourite charger of their chief, when
asked for by the meanest Syrian peasant. He declared that the
desire to gratify his craving had proved amply sufficient for his want,
and begged them to return the noble beast to his stable, as he now-
felt equal to partake of ordinary food. He left the Hospital disguised
as he had been on his entrance, and, having rejoined his army, con-

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 105
after a tenure of 88 years, the Christians were forced
to turn their backs on the scene of so many struggles,
hopes, and triumphs ; the crescent was once again
waving over those ramparts where the Avhite cross of
the Hospital had for so many years fanned the breeze,
and the church dedicated to the Holy Sepulchre of
our Lord was once again converted into a Mahometan
mosque. Was it for this that Peter had, in the prece
ding century, thundered forth his denunciations against
the Infidel, and aroused to a pitch of madness the en
thusiasm of millions ? Was it for this that Europe had
poured forth her votaries, in countless hosts, to whiten
the shores of Palestine with their bones ? Was it for this
that generations of zealous devotees had consecrated
their swords and their lives to the preservation of that
precious conquest, wrung at such fearful cost from the
grasp of the Infidels ? It was, alas, too true ! Europe
had stood supinely looking on, whilst the Moslem was
slowly but surely weaving the web of destruction round
the sacred province ; and now when it was too late,
when all was lost, and that hallowed soil Avas once more
desecrated by the worship of the Arabian impostor, a
cry of indignation and vengeance arose on every side.
It might be well, ere passing from this scene of dis
aster to the Christian arms, a tale of shame and disgrace
painful to record, to pause for aAvhile and analyse the
causes Avhich led to so speedy a decline and fall of the
kingdom of Jerusalem. It may be attributed to tAVo
tinued his warfare against the Christians ; retaining, however, the
warmest regard for those noble-minded Nazarenes who were thus
prepared to sacrifice everything at the shrine of duty. Some writers
go so far as to assert that he made several liberal donations to tlie
institution, but there is no record existing of any such fact.

106 A HISTORY OF
circumstances, one the increase and concentration of the
power of the Moslem, and the other the decadence and
disunion of that of the Latins. When the first Crusaders
established themselves on the shores of Palestine, they
found the Infidels divided into factions, and combating
Avith a rancour and animosity, on certain disputed tenets
of their faith, such as only a religious warfare could
excite. Either party was ready to coalesce with the
new comers for the overthrow of their rivals ; and the
Christians thus, in most of their earlier campaigns, Avere
sure of being able to count on the aid of one or other of
the rival factions. As, however, the poAver of the Tur
komans became more and more consolidated, and oppo
sing pretensions Avere concentrated in the person of a
single leader, the position of the Latins became annually
more and more precarious. The troops also which the
Saracens brought into the field had improved greatly
in their discipline during this period, the lessons taught
them by their European opponents were not thrown
away, and they eventually nearly, if not quite, equalled
those armies in their prowess and skill, which they
always vastly exceeded in numbers.
On the side of the Christians, the cause may be found
in the disunion existing between themselves. Instead
of a firm and steadfast alliance between their chiefs,
Avhich constituted their only chance of retaining ultimate
safety ; they Avere prepared, at every trivial quarrel, and
for each petty jealousy, to jeopardise the existence of the
kingdom. The disputes betAveen the ecclesiastics and the
military Orders already alluded to, disputes originating
chiefly in tiie greed of the clergy, A\'ho were loth to see so
wealthy a community as that of St, John exempted from
the payment of tithes; and the jealousies latterly spring*

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 107
ing upbetween that Order and the Templars*, for instead
of confining their rivalry to a friendly emulation whilst
combating against their common foe, they appeared more
intent upon thwarting and frustrating each other, than
in opposing the Saracen ; were all so many contributing
causes to the final catastrophe.
That, in these quarrels and jealousies, the Order of St.
John was always in the right, it would be going too far to
assert ; still the history of the times clearly shows that in
their disputes with the clergy they were most unjustly
attacked, and merely defended a privilege granted them
from the See of Rome, the common superior both of
themselves and the rival ecclesiastics ; and as regards
their dissensions Avith the Templars, the conduct of that
Order during the latter part of this eventful period ren
ders it very difficult to decide the dispute in their
favour, against the pretensions of the Hospitallers, upon
whose fair fame no blot had as yet fallen, such as those
which had so deeply tarnished the escutcheon of their
rivals. The weight of contemporary evidence certainly
leans very decidedly in their favour. |
In a letter which the young and gallant Conrad of
Montferrat addressed to the archbishop of Canterbury,
whilst engaged in defending the city of Tyre from the
attack of the victorious Saladin, he says: " All succour
is denied to me, and what is still worse, the Grand-Master
of the Templars has carried off the money, which the
king of England had sent for me. As to the Hospitallers,
* Vide Appendix, No. 10.
¦f In a letter written by the Gran(J-Preceptor of the Temple to
Henry II. of England at this time, he bears testimony to the admir
able conduct of the Order of the Hospital at this crisis, and the
exception made in their favour by Saladin. Vide Appendix, No. 9.

108 A HISTORY OF
I have nothing but praise to record of them, and I call
God and yourself to Avitness my gratitude toAvards them ;
for from the moment when they first took up arms in
the defence of this place, they have never ceased to render
the greatest possible service; and so far from imitating the
Templars, by retaining that portion of the subsidy from
the king of England which they Avere bound to furnish,
they have, in addition, positively spent upwards of eight
thousand crowns of their own money in the defence of
Tyre." Another anecdote of the period will also serve
to show the general estimation in which the Order of the
Templars was held. Whilst Richard, king of England, was
in Normandy, on his road to the East, a priest named
Fulke, vicar of Neuilly, Avho was addressing an exhorta
tion to him, concluded his harangue with the impertinent
peroration, that, in order to succeed in his emprise, he
should lay aside those besetting sins, which he designated
his three daughters, namely, pride, avarice, and luxury.
The king at once retorted the accusation by replying:
" If I am compelled to part with these three daughters
of mine, I do not think I can provide for them in a more
suitable manner, than by bestowing the first of them on
the Templars, the second on the monastic orders, and
the third on the bishops of my realm." It is impossible
to see so much concurrent testimony, from so many dif
ferent impartial witnesses, without feeling that the two
Orders had achieved a very different reputation, and
were regarded with very different feelings by the powers
of Christendom ; feelings Avhich were not long in finding
a vent, and which fully accounted for the difference of
the fate which in after years befel them.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 109

CHAP. V.
ESTABLISHMENT OF THE HOSPITAL AT MARGAT.  RETIREMENT OP
THE LADIES OF THE ORDER TO EUROPE.  THE THIRD CRUSADE. 
SIEGE AND CAPTURE OF ACRE.  GUT DE LUSIGNAN MADE KING OP
CYPRUS.  REFORMS OF ALPHONSO OF PORTUGAL.  HIS RESIGNATION
AND DEATH. — FOURTH CRUSADE.  CAPTURE OF CONSTANTINOPLE
BY THE LATINS.  DISSENSIONS BETAVEEN THE TEMPLARS AND
HOSPITALLERS.  ANDREW, KING OF HUNGARY, ADMITTED A KNIGHT
OF THE ORDER.  FIFTH CRUSADE.  SIEGE AND CAPTURE OP
DAMIETTA.  ADVANCE INTO EGYPT. — FATAL RESUI.TS OF THE EX
PEDITION.  MARRIAGE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERIC WITH VIOLANTE.
 TREATY WITH THE SARACENS.  CORONATION OF FREDERIC AT
JERUSALEM.  HIS RETURN TO EUROPE, AND PERSECUTION OP THE
MILITARY ORDERS.  ACCUSATIONS BROUGHT AGAINST THE KNIGHTS
OF ST. JOHN.
The capture of Jerusalem, detailed at the close of the
last chapter, deprived the Order of St. John of that home
which for upwards of a century had constituted a shelter,
not only for themselves, but also for those among their
co-religionists whose misfortunes had caused them to seek
the aid of their charitable ministrations. The building
which, with such pious zeal and forethought, had been
originally appropriated to these kindly functions through
the liberality of the Amalfi merchants, once more reverted
to the possession of the Infidel, whence no succeeding
effort was able to wrest it. It is worthy of note, that,
after having remained thus estranged from its original
purposes during a period of upwards of 650 years, the
site of this Hospital has once more become a Christian

110 A HISTORY OF
possession, the present sultan of Turkey having made it
over to the French, as a mark of gratitude for the ser
vices rendered by that nation in the memorable Crimean
struggleof 1854 — 1855,
Thus rudely expelled from their home, the fraternity
betook themselves, diminished in number and with an
exhausted treasury, to Margat, a town which still
acknowledged the sway of the Christians. Within tlie
sheltering bulwarks of this fortress they established
their convent and hospital, and, as far as their reduced
finances permitted, continued to carry on those chari
table duties which, during the most stirring times of war
fare, had never been permitted to suffer neglect.
The Order may be considered at this period to haA'e
reached a very low ebb ; and to have approached so
nearly to extinction, from the numerous adverse circum
stances withwhichit had been driven to contend, that it ap
pears somewhat marvellous it should have been possessed
of sufficient vitality to survive the blow. Whilst tracing
the course of its history through the four succeeding cen
turies, we shall find it frequently overborne by the weight
of accumulated calamities, and apparently on the very
verge of destruction: but Ave shall as often find it rising
again, like the phoenix from its ashes ; and as the giant
Avho, when Avrestling with Hercules, received an accession
of strength from his mother earth after every fall, so
shall we find this illustrious Order, as soon as the dark
clouds which overhung its fortunes Avere dispersed,
springing up anew with increased vitality and redoubled
renown .
The ladies of the Order, rudely torn from their homes,
and unequal to cope with the hardships that must neces
sarily have beset a further residence in Palestine, aban-

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. Ill
doned the Holy Land for ever, and divided themselves
amongst their various branch establishments in Europe.
It has already been mentioned that they were possessed
of a very extensive settlement at Bucklands, in Somer
setshire, the gift of Henry II, to the Hospital; and
hither came a great number of the wandering sister
hood. The queen of Aragon had also shortly before,
Avith regal munificence, established an extensive nun
nery at the village of Sixenne, near Saragossa, for the
accommodation of the ladies of St, John, This also
threw open its hospitable doors for the reception of all
those who sought its shelter ; and here these pious de
votees passed the remainder of their lives in the strictest
seclusion, mourning the loss of their sacred and long-
cherished homes, and bcAvailing the untimely fate of
those heroes of the Hospital who now lay cold and life
less beneath the gory soil of Palestine.
The history of the Order, throughout its residence in
the East, was so closely connected with that of the
kingdom of Jerusalem, that it would have been difficult
to trace the progress of the one Avithout entering into
some detail with regard to the other. Noav, however,
that the fortunes of that kingdom have been followed,
from its first origin, through the various vicissitudes
which led to the loss of its capital city, the remainder
of its melancholy history may be glanced at more briefly,
bearing in mind that, in all the Avars and struggles with
which the period was rife, the Hospitallers bore a no
ble part, contending with unflagging zeal against ever-
increasing obstacles.
The incidents which marked the third Crusade have
been so frequently recorded, and are so well known to
all readers, that they call but for a passing remark in

112 A HISTORY OF
these pages. Boasting among its leaders no less than
four crowned heads, the emperor of Germany, Richard
of England, Philip Augustus of France, and Leopold
of Austria, this expedition found Guy de Lusignan
roused from the torpor into which he had been plunged
by the destruction of his kingdom, and engaged in the
siege of Acre, aided by the military Orders, This city,
the Ptolemais of the Romans, was the most important
maritime post on the shores of Syria, and had opened
its gates to the Saracen army without resistance after
the disastrous conflict of Tiberias. For three years,
from the date of its first investment, was its defence
maintained, despite all the gallantry of the besiegers,
led on as they were during the latter portion of the
time by the lion-hearted Richard himself. At the
expiration, howcA^er, of that period, the efforts of the
Christian army Avere crowned with success, and the
toAvn was driven to surrender.
Hither, as soon as order was in some degree restored,
the Hospitallers removed their convent from Margat;
and it was in this new establishment that Ermengard
Daps peacefully breathed his last, in the year 1192.
The siege of Acre may be noted for the formation of a
fourth military Order, Avhich during its progress was
called into existence. This fraternity, which received
the name of the Teutonic Order, Avas composed exclu
sively of Germans. Their dress consisted of a white
mantle with a black cross embroidered in gold ; and the
rules of their governance were in close approximation
to those of the Hospitallers and Templars.
The capture of Acre led to no further successes on
the part of the Christian army; dissensions, such as
must ever be ready to spring up in a force composed of

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 113
SO many anomalous and heterogeneous materials, soon
arose, and the length of time during which the siege
was protracted exhausted the enthusiasm of the army.
Most of its leaders had already, on various pretences,
returned to Europe, and the city had no sooner fallen
into their hands, than a vast proportion of the remainder
followed their contagious example. In vain Richard of
England strove to keep together the few remaining
fragments of the expedition ; not even his fiery energy
and dauntless perseverance could overcome the reluc
tance with Avhich any further advance into the country
was undertaken ; so that he was at length, much against
his OAvn desire, driven to conclude a truce with Saladin,
and to abandon the cause which he had so much at
heart, and in Avhich he personally had reaped such an
ample meed of glory.
On the demise of Ermengard Daps at Acre, a knight
named Godfrey of Duisson was elected in his place,
whose lineage and nation appear to be very uncertain,
though some writers affirm that he originally came from
Picardy, Shortly after his accession an event occurred
which, for a few short years, gave a little breathing time
to the shattered fragments of the Latin kingdom. The
renowned Saladin, that terror of the Christians whose
ruthless scimitar had drunk the life's blood of so many
of their number, and had torn the sacred city from their
enfeebled grasp, died in 1193, leaving his empire to be
divided amongst his eleven sons. As may readily be
imagined, such a legacy, like the famed apple of the
Goddess of Discord, kindled flames of civil commotion
from end to end of the- newly consolidated Saracen
empire. Had this internecine warfare been permitted
VOL. I. I

114 A HISTORY OF
to continue for any length of time, it is very probable
that the Latins might have been enabled to re-establish
themselves with greater durability, and more extended
empire than before ; but, unfortunately for the prospects
of the Christian cause, Saffradin, brother of the deceased
chieftain, taking advantage of his nephews' struggles
against each other, overpoAvered them in detail, and re
organised the empire on a basis nearly as extensive as
it had been during the reign of his brother.
While these events, hoAvever, were occurring, the
Latins found time to make such preparations as were in
their poAver, to secure their few remaining possessions
from the attacks of the Infidel. Richard of England
having, on his road to the Holy Land, touched at Cyprus,
had been by its monarch refused permission to enter the
harbour, or to refit at the island. Irate with this un
called for want of hospitality, Richard, Avho was not a
monarch to submit tamely to insult under any circum
stances, and who was at this moment supported by a
large force, immediately seized the island by storm,
bringing away the king and his daughter prisoners in
his train to Acre. Whilst, however, he was loading the
father Avith chains of silver*, he was, if ancient scandal
may be credited, himself becoming entangled in the rosy
bonds of love by the daughter. Be this as it may, he
eventually bestowed her hand, and with it the kingdom
of Cyprus, on Guy de Lusignan, Avhose position had
become of that dubious nature, that he Avas not above
Avedding with the cast off mistress of the king Avhen
* The king of Cyprus murmured bitterly at being secured, like a
common prisoner, with iron fetters. Richard., with sarcastic irony,
directed chains of silver to be substituted ; and, strange to say, the
vain and weak-minded prince appeared much gratified at the change.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 116
coupled with a throne, though only of such limited
extent as that of Cyprus,
At Guy's death, his brother Almeric succeeded to
that crown, and was shortly afterwards, through the
good offices of the Hospitaller Godfrey, united to Isa
bella, the widow, successively, of Conrad and of the
Count of Champagne, and at the same time the
divorced Avife of Humphrey of Thorom. As at Guy's
death this princess became his undoubted successor to
the croAvn of Jerusalem, Almeric, by his marriage,
succeeded in establishing his claim to the dignity, des
titute though it Avas of all the attributes of a kingdom.
In order to enable him to reside constantly in Palestine,
where his presence was most imperatively called for, to
hold together the few remaining possessions which still
'acknowledged his sway, the two military Orders under
took to protect the island of Cyprus on his behalf, and
to guarantee its retention under his government. This
island, from its position, formed a most advantageous
base of operations, from whence to support the isolated
posts still held by the Christians in Palestine, and
strong detachments from both Orders Avere sent there
to insure its safety from aggression.
The chronology of these times is so very obscure,
that it is an absolute impossibility to trace, with
exactitude, the dates at which each change in the
government of the Hospital took place. None of the
fraternity, at this early period, seem ever to have un
dertaken the task of chronicling the achievements of them
selves and of their companions in arms : we are, there
fore, totally dependent on such writers as have treated
generally of the fortunes of the kingdom of Palestine,
and of the numerous Crusades by which it was from
I 2

116 A HISTORY OF
time to time supported. The mihtary Orders are only
very cursorily mentioned, and the most confusing con
tradictions in names and dates constantly occur,
rendering it very difficult to determine Avhich are
most probable to be correct. Godfrey appears to have
died in 1194, and to have been succeeded by Alphonso
of Portugal. This Knight laid claim to belong to the
royal family of Portugal, since the inscription on his
tomb, which was erected by himself during his life
time, ran thus : " Alphonso, master of the holy Hos
pital of Jerusalem, son of the king of Portugal," &c, &c.
As, however, the history of Portugal makes no mention
of such a scion of the royal family, it is probable
that, even could he boast of royal blood in his A'eins, it
Avas sullied by the bar sinister.
The advent of Alphonso was the signal for the most
rigid reform in the constitution of the Order, The cen
tury Avhich had elapsed since their first establishment
had brought many changes in the habits and mode of
life of the period, by the introduction of luxuries which,
during its earlier times, had been unknown. The
Hospitallers had followed in the tide of progress; and
advancing civilisation, with its softening influences, had
produced many innovations by no means in accordance
with the rigid code of regulations framed by the austere
Raymond du Puy. Alphonso was one of those men
so common in every station, and in all ages, who,
Avithout discernment sufficient to mark the signs of the
times, are determined to abide rigidly by the rules
of their forefathers. Need we look far to see many
a parallel to this blindness and obstinacy, even in our
own times? It is, however, utterly vain for any one
man to attempt opposing himself to the stream of pro^

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 117
gress ever rolling onwards ; and nothing short of
complete isolation from all communication with the
surrounding world, would have enabled the Hospitallers
to conform to the antiquated views of their bigoted
chief. Rules, which in the days of Raymond merely
engendered simplicity of life and the absence of vaiu
and ostentatious pomp, would, if enforced a century
later, have involved a degree of austerity never con
templated by him. Impressed, however, with the
necessity of a rigid observance of the oaths taken on
his accession to office, Alphonso at once commenced
to enforce the discipline originally ordained by Ray
mond. In this endeavour he met with the most vehement
opposition from the council where his intentions were
promulgated, and so strenuously and pertinaciously
Avere the objections of the fraternity urged, that he
completely lost all control over his temper; and thun
dering forth from the presidential chair the imperious
mandate, " I will be obeyed, and that without reply,"
he attempted to silence remonstrance by an appeal to
his authority. Language such as this had not of late
years been heard at the council board, and an imme
diate outcry proclaimed the resentment of the members.
Open rebellion promptly succeeded to remonstrance, and
Alphonso was, ere long, taught that the estimate he had
formed of his magisterial power was greatly exagge
rated. Disgusted at the failure of his attempt, and
cowed by the storm of opposition which he had raised,
he resigned his post, abandoned the_ Holy Land, and
retired to Portugal; where he shortly afterwards fell
in an engagement, during one of the civil wars of
that nation, I 3

118 A HISTORY OF.
The attempts made by the powers of Western Europe
to restore the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem to somcAvhat
of its pristine vigour were, during the first half of the
thirteenth century, extremely numerous ; and had they
been properly directed, and never diverted to any other
object than that for which they Avere organised, they
must have succeeded in the perfect re- establishment
of that kingdom. The history of the times, however,
is filled with the petty jealousies and the rancorous
hatreds which were perpetually arising to thwart any
vigorous or concerted movement; and wave after
w^ave surged upon the shores of Palestine, to be driven
back, more through their own impatience, than the
power of the Infidel. One of these expeditions, di
verted from its original purpose, turned its arms against
the city of Constantinople ; and, Avresting it from the
enfeebled grasp of the Byzantine dynasty, converted
it for a brief space into a Latin kingdom, the crown
of Avhich Avas given to Baldwin, Count of Flanders.
Meanwhile Almeric had died, leaving vacant the
two thrones of Jerusalem and Cyprus ; the former of
which was inherited by Mary, daughter of Isabella by
her first spouse. It was the unhappy lot of Palestine,
at a time when she most had need of a clear head and a
firm hand to guide her councils and rule her armies,
that her crown should be worn either by women or by
children. To obviate the evils likely to result from
female sway at so critical a moment, a deputation was
sent to Philip Augustus of France, requesting him to
nominate a prince Avho should receive the hand of the
new queen, and with it the crown of Jerusalem. John
of Brienne, Count of Vienna, Avas by Philip selected as
a prince worthy of this heritage of danger and glory ;
and immediately upon his arrival in the Holy Land

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 119
he was united to Mary, and assumed the sway of his
attenuated realm.
While these changes were variously affecting Pales
tine, the dissensions between the two Orders of the
Hospital and Temple, which had long been smouldering
with ill-disguised virulence, burst forth into open hos
tility. There had during many years existed a deep-
seated feeling of jealousy betAveen the rival fraternities,
a jealousy rendered the more rancorous on the part of
the Templars from a feeling of inferiority on the score
of wealth and Avorldly aggrandisement. Matthe\y
Paris, Avho, as a contemporary historian, is Avorthy of
credit in the matter, estimates the property of the
Hospital in the various states of Europe, at the com
mencement of the thirteenth century, to have reached
19,000 manors, Avhilst that of the Temple only amounted
to 9000. The term manor in those days Avas used to
signify that portion of land which could be tilled by one
yoke of oxen. This great difference in point of Avealth,
marking as it did the superior estimation in which the
first-named Order was held throughout Christendom,
naturally excited the most hostile feelings amongst their
rivals, and this at last found a vent in open Avarfare.
In close proximity to the town of Margat, where, as
has already been related, the Hospitallers established
their convent after their expulsion from Jerusalem by
Saladin, stood a castle possessed by a Knight named
Robert de Margat, who held the property as a vassal to
the Hospitallers, and acknowledged them to be his feudal
lords. To this castle the Templars laid claim, and,
supporting their pretensions by force, seized upon the
disputed property. Robert de Margat immediately
claimed the protection of the Hospitallers, Avhose vassal
I 4

120 A HISTORY OF
he considered himself to be ; and these latter, incensed at
the unprovoked outrage committed by their rivals,
mustered their forces, sallied forth from their neigh
bouring establishment at Margat, and retook the post by
storm. From this moment a systematic warfare sprang
up betAveen the Orders, and the most sanguinary com
bats ensued. Utterly oblivious of the vows they had
taken at their profession, and of the obligations then
imposed upon them, they turned those swords which had
been consecrated to the sacred cause of religion, with
fratricidal rage, against each other ; and, throughout the
length and breadth of the land, men's hearts were filled
with dismay at the lamentable spectacle thus afforded.
Alarmed at the imminent danger likely to accrue from
this ill-timed antagonism on the part of those who had
hitherto been the most energetic, and oftentimes the only
defenders of the kingdom, the patriarch and the other
ecclesiastics appealed to the Pope for his interference
in the matter. That prelate, after having heard the
opposing claims of the deputies which both Orders had
despatched to Rome in their defence, decided that nei
ther party was free from blame. The Hospitallers had
acted unjustifiably and in opposition to the rules of
their Order, in endeavouring to redress by force of arms
the Avrong which they considered had been done them;
and, on the other hand, the claims of the Templars over
the castle in question were unfounded. Under these
circumstances, he directed that, in the first place, the
Hospitallers should retire from the disputed property,
leaving it in the possession of the Templars, who, in
their turn, should restore it to Robert de Margat at the
expiration of one month. Matters were thus at length
amicably settled, and a temporary truce, since peace it

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 121
could scarcely be called, Avas established between the
rival factions,
John of Brienne, having failed in his efforts to carry
Avith him to the East an army sufficiently powerful to
establish the rights to which he had become entitled by
his marriage with the young queen of Jerusalem, im
plored the Pope to aid him in this critical juncture.
Innocent III., who at this time ruled the See of Rome,
entered warmly into his wishes, and supported by Robert
de Cour§on, an English ecclesiastic who partook largely
of the enthusiastic zeal of St. Bernard and Peter the
Hermit, he caused a Crusade to be preached in every
cathedral and church throughout Western Christendom.
The first results of these efforts showed themselves in
the force which in the year 1216, Avith Andrew, king of
Hungary, at its head, made its way to the East, At
Cyprus Andrew met the Master of the Hospitallers,
with whom he had appointed a rendezvous in that island;
and, escorted by his fleet of galleys, they proceeded in
company to Acre. Here he refused the palace which
the king of Jerusalem had prepared for his reception,
preferring to take up his abode in the convent of St.
John. He Avas indeed so impressed with the admirable
manner in which the duties of the Hospital Avere con
ducted in that city, as well as at Margat, which he like
wise visited, that he announced his desire of becoming
enrolled as one of its members. Anomalous as it may
appear, for a monarch, whilst swaying the destinies of
an empire, to take upon himself the vows of obedience,
poverty, and chastity, his desire Avas complied Avith, and
the ceremony of investiture completed. Thus the king
of Hungary became the first crowned head Avho had
been received as a Knight- Hospitaller of Jerusalem ;

122 A- HISTORY OF
and he celebrated the event by a becoming act of dota
tion, settling upon the Order an annuity of seven hun
dred silver marks, secured upon the salt mines of his
kingdom. His brief sojourn in Palestine was, however, productive
of little or no good to the kingdom : his Avas a mind far
too unstable for any grand enterprise, and, ere he had
been three months at the head of his forces, the mere
impulse of restlessness, aided, as some writers assert, by
grief at the assassination of his queen, the ncAvs of
which had reached him during his stay at Cyprus, caused
him to abandon the war, and, despite all the threats of ex
communication fulminated against him by the patriarch,
he returned to Europe,
John of Brienne was not deterred by this defection
from carrying on his struggle for empire. Fresh bodies
of Crusaders having made their appearance from Europe,
it was decided that siege should be laid to Damietta, then
considered the key to Egypt, and this was accordingly
commenced in the month of May, a.d, 1218, the military
Orders as usual occupying a conspicuous position in the
van of the army. During its continuance, the sultan of
Egypt, doubtful of the powers of resistance which the
place afforded, and dreading lest its fall should occasion
the loss of his entire kingdom, proposed a treaty to the
Christian powers, in virtue of which, Jerusalem and the
Avhole of Palestine, Avith tAvo exceptions, were to revert
to Latin dominion, and all prisoners in the hands of the
sultan were to be released, provided the siege of Damietta
was raised, and the invasion of Egypt abandoned, John
of Brienne and most of his nobility, including the
Master of the Hospitallers, were urgent in their desire
that this most advantageous treaty should be accepted ;

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 123
but the Papal legate, Pelagius, Avho had usurped the most
unlimited authority in the allied camp, was of a different
opinion, and in this he was joined by the Templars,
Avhose animosity to their rivals of the Hospital was such,
that the mere fact of the latter having expressed them
selves in favour of the acceptance of the treaty proposed
by the sultan was in itself sufficient to cause them to
urge its rejection. The opinion of Pelagius, backed as
it Avas by the Templars, gained the day ; the offers of
the sultan were disdainfully rejected, and the siege was
pushed on with redoubled vigour ; Avithout, however,
the further assistance of John of Brienne, Avho for a
time absented himself in dudgeon from an army of
which he was indeed the nominal head, but where, in
point of fact, the imperious legate ruled Avith absolute
poAver. After a defence protracted through upwards of a
year, Damietta fell into the hands of the Christians,
more on account of the complete exhaustion of its
defenders, than from the efforts of its assailants. Its
population, which at the commencement of the siege
numbered upwards of seventy thousand inhabitants,
could at its close barely muster three thousand ; and
the Christians, as they entered the place, found it nothing
but one vast grave.
Fresh divisions arose in the councils of the army on
the capture of Damietta, The king, who had by this
time returned to his post, the Hospitallers, and those
who had all along supported his views, contended
strongly in favour of an advance on Jerusalem ; Avhilst
the legate, the Templars, and their party, were equally
urgent in advising a penetration into the heart of Egypt,
and the complete overthrow of that monarchy, as being

124 A HISTORY OF
the most certain method of permanently securing the
safety of the Latin kingdom. The latter gained the
day ; and the army, turning its back upon the sacred
city, advanced into Egypt, accompanied by the king,
Avho, though feeling most bitterly the secondary position
in which he found himself placed, could not bring him
self to abandon a cause in Avhich he had so much
at stake.
The Christians boldly pushed their way into the midst
of the small islands comprising the delta of the Nile,
the Egyptian forces retreating before them ; but here
they found a new and invincible enemy prepared to
combat against them. The sultan, having caused the
banks of the river to be broken down, flooded the Avhole
country, and completely surrounded the Latin forces
with an impassable lake. Advance or retreat were
equally impracticable, whilst to remain where they
were entailed certain and immediate starvation. In
this unfortunate dilemma, brought on completely by the
ignorance and presumption of Pelagius, the Christians
had no resource but to enter into a composition Avith
the enemy ; and they were at length driven to purchase
their liberty by the surrender of all their recent ac
quisitions. Damietta was restored to the Egyptians ;
the army returned to Acre ; and thus fruitlessly ended
a campaign which at one time bade fair to lead to the
complete restoration of the kingdom of Palestine,
The unfortunate result of this expedition, however,
could not dismay the high spirit of the people of
Western Europe ; and they at once prepared for further
and still more energetic efforts for the recovery of
Jerusalem, Herman de Saltza, the head of the Teu
tonic Order, returned to Europe to solicit aid from the

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 125
German emperor Frederic. He proposed to that po
tentate that he should marry Violante, the daughter
and heiress of John of Brienne, at this time twelve
years of age ; and it was conceived that her father
could be readily induced to resign his crown in favour
of his new son-in-law. Flattered with this prospect,
and tempted by the kingdom thus tendered for his
acceptance, Frederic, with the sanction of the Pope,
espoused Violante; and John of Brienne, weary of a
throne which existed but in name, resigned all his pre
tensions in his favour.
Delays of various natures caused a period of five
years to elapse before Frederic found himself on the
shores of Syria ; and, during this time, the ill feeling
which had been gradually growing up between himself
and the Pope broke into open hostilities. A sentence of
excommunication was fulminated against the emperor,
ostensibly on account of the delays which had interfered
Avith his Crusade ; and he, in his turn, invaded and
ravaged the Papal dominions. Undeterred, however,
by these ecclesiastical thunders, and whilst still lying
under the anathema of his Holiness, Frederic proceeded
to Palestine, accompanied by a considerable force in
1228 ; and prepared at once to march into the interior
of the country,
A difficulty at first arose with the military Orders,
who were unwilling to render any aid to a prince who
had been placed beyond the pale of the Church, and to
Avhom the Pope had forbidden them to render any
assistance whatever. Eventually, hoAvever, matters
were amicably arranged between them ; and the army
proceeded on its march to Jerusalem, meeting with no
opposition on the part of the Saracens. Camel, the

126 A HISTORY OF
sultan of Egypt, dreading the ambition of his brother
Coradinus, and anxious consequently to ingratiate him
self Avith the new comers, made overtures of peace to
the emperor ; and thus, without striking a blow,
Frederic was enabled to conclude a treaty on behalf of
the Christians, far more advantageous than any which
his predecessors had extorted from the hand of the
Infidel. Jerusalem, Jaffa, Bethlehem, and Nazareth
were restored to the Latins ; and the Holy Sepulchre
Avas to be once more free to their pilgrims, with the sole
proviso that the followers of Mahomet were likewise to
have uninterrupted access to the sacred spot, Avhich they
had named the Mosque of Omar, Whilst at Jerusalem,
Frederic caused himself to be crowned in this church ;
but, owing to the ecclesiastical ban under Avhich he lay,
none of the clerical dignitaries of the kingdom, or of
the Orders of the Hospital and Temple, assisted at the
ceremony. The Teutonic Knights, hoAvever, preferring
their temporal to their ecclesiastical allegiance, sup
ported the emperor throughout, and their Grand-
Master pronounced a laudatory oration at the close of
the coronation ceremony.
This latter Order had, ever since its formation during
the siege of Acre, rendered the most vital assistance to
the feeble state ; and acting, as it invariably did, in con
junction with the two others, it most justly shared
Avith them the glory which the protracted defence of
the relics of that kingdom had earned. From the date,
however, of Frederic's return to Europe, the assistance
rendered by the Teutonic Knights was lost to Palestine.
Following in the train of their emperor, they returned
to Germany, where their achievements, though fre
quently glorious and worthy of record, have no

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 127
further place in these pages,* It is asserted by
the imperial Avriters that, during Frederic's stay
in Jerusalem, a most foul and treasonous conspiracy
was entered into betAveen the Hospitallers and Tem
plars to betray him into the hands of the Sara
cens, to which disgraceful act they were instigated
by his bitter enemy the Pope. This treachery Avas
discovered through the magnanimity of the sultan of
Egypt, who, Avith a righteous indignation at the authors
of so disgraceful a plot, lost no time in making the
emperor acquainted with the entire project. That there
was some truth in the allegation appears, from col
lateral evidence, to be too true ; although many of the
Papal writers have not hesitated to assert that the story
had its origin in the fertile brain of Frederic himself,
who was anxious to frame some plausible pretext for
abandoning an enterprise into which he had been forced
by the remonstrances of the Pope, sorely against his
own inclination. The discovery of this disgraceful
conspiracy in a great measure accounts for, nay even
to some extent excuses, the animosity with which
Frederic ever after regarded those Orders, and the per
secutions and extortions to which he subjected them,
Matthew Paris, however, whilst recording the fact,
expressly mentions that the infamy of the action lay in
a less degree with the Hospitallers than the Templars ;
though he is silent as to the facts upon which he founds
the distinction thus made between them. The historians
of those ages were not exempt from the faults of later
Avriters, in distorting facts in order to make them accord
* A few members of the Order remained in Palestine until the final
expulsion of the Latins from its shores ; and they are mentioned as
sharing in the defence of Acre, but the main body retired with Frederic.

128 A HISTORY OF
Avith their prejudices ; and events Avere then, as noAv,
depicted very differently Avhen regarded through op
posing mediums. Thus we find those who Avrote in the
imperial interest averring that, by the treaty entered
into Avith the Saracens by Frederic, the Christians were
once more placed on as advantageous a footing as that
which they held before the ill-fated battle of Tiberias ;
Avhilst the Papal writers assert that it formed an ex
press stipulation in the treaty that the fortifications of
Jerusalem, which had been razed by the Saracens during
the siege of Damietta, should not be restored ; thus
rendering the possession of the city by the Christians
an absolute nullity. This stipulation is also distinctly
alluded to by Abulfeda, and the fact that no attempts
Ave re made to restore the Avails of the place during its
brief reoccupation by the Latins appears to corroborate
the statement.
As soon as Frederic had thus formally established his
claim to the throne by the act of coronation performed
in Jerusalem, he returned to Europe where his pre
sence Avas urgently required, pledging himself, however,
to maintain a considerable force for the protection of
Palestine, Whilst these events were occurring, several
changes had taken place in the governance of the Order
of St. John, At the resignation of Alphonso of Por
tugal in 1195, Jeffrey Le Rat, a knight of the French
language, was elected in his place, who, by the mildness
of his government and the urbanity of his conduct,
was not long in restoring that peace and unanimity in
their councils so rudely disturbed by the violent reforms
of Alphonso. Jeffrey died in 1207, and was in his
turn succeeded by Gu^rin de Montagu, of the language
of Auvergne. It Avas during his Mastership that both

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 129
the Crusades lately recorded took place, and he bore a
prominent and glorious part throughout them. He
lived until the year 1230, thus enjoying his dignities
for a period of tAventy-three years, a longer rule than
that of any Knight who had been elected since the
death of the venerable Raymond du Puy.
Bertrand de Texis succeeded Guerin at a time when
the affairs of the unfortunate kingdom were in a state of
confusion even still more lamentable than that which
was the usual lot of this precarious monarchy. The
Emperor Frederic had found, upon his return to Europe,
that the constant warfare in Avhich he Avas engaged
against the Pope, prevented him from sending those
succours Avhich on leaving Palestine he had faithfully
promised to the council of the realm. His Avife Violante
had lately died in giving birth to a son, named Conrad,
who was through her heir to the crown of Jerusalem,
In the absence of the infant prince and his father, rival
claimants appeared to dispute his title ; and the scan
dalous injustice Avith which the emperor was at this
time treating the military Orders, whose European pro
perty he was seizing, pillaging, and confiscating, where-
ever it was exposed to the violence of his power, ren
dered it but natural that they should avail themselves
of this opportunity for revenge. To their credit, how
ever, it is recorded, that in spite of the ill usage which
they had been receiving at his hands, they nevertheless
remained true to their allegiance to him as their legiti
mate sovereign, under all provocations, and in the teeth
of the seductive temptations held out to them by his
rivals. The Pope felt so deeply on the subject of these
Avanton aggressions on the part of the emperor, that he
addressed a special letter to him on the subject, exhort-
VOL. I. K

130 A HISTORY OF
ing him to make to both Orders immediate restitution,
upon the plea of the good service which they were daily
rendering in the protection of the tottering kingdom of
Palestine.* This letter is the more important in an historical point
of view, because in it the Pope warmly extols the military
Orders, and appears to consider their conduct worthy of
the highest approbation and sympathy ; whereas we find
him only eight years later writing in the most vehement
strain to the Master Bertrand de Comps, and making the
gravest possible charges against the discipline of the
fraternity. In this document he accuses them, on the
faith as he asserts of undeniable authority, of harbouring
within their convents women of loose character, of
possessing individually private property in opposition to
their vow of poverty, and of assisting the enemies of the
Church Avith horses and arms, together with a long cata
logue of other crimes, evidently collected together by
their inveterate and implacable enemies the ecclesiastics
of Palestine,!
It is more than probable that some portion of these
accusations may have been founded in truth. We have
already seen Alphonso of Portugal endeavouring to in
troduce reforms into his convent, and losing his magis
terial dignity in consequence ; we may also safely con
clude that the haughty spirits which so vehemently
resisted his energetic measures had not become curbed
during the milder rule of his successors. Yet it seems
impossible to review all the concurrent testimony which
bears upon the question, without feeling that the gravity
* Vide Appendix, No. 11.
t Vide Appendix, No. 12.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 131
of these charges is in no Avay borne out by the facts.
Twenty years had barely elapsed since the king of Hun
gary, who, whilst residing at the convent, had had every
opportunity of judging as to the regularity and decorum
of their conduct, expressed himself so highly edified by
what he there witnessed that he caused himself to be
enrolled as a member of the fraternity. Twelve years
later again we find, as above stated, the Pope himself
once more reiterating his approbation of their conduct,
thus ratifying the oft-expressed sanction of his predeces
sors ; an approbation which could hardly have been ex
torted had such crying irregularities as those denoted in
his second letter at that time existed ; nor is it probable
that these vices, so scandalous in their nature, and
bearing such barefaced effrontery in their practice,
could have gained a footing in the short space of eight
years ; it may therefore safely be concluded that, Avhilst
in all probability such irregularities may have crept
into the convent as would render a reform highly
advisable, still that the crimes detailed with such male
volent emphasis in the Pope's letter to Bertrand, were for
the most part the offspring of calumny.
It may not be amiss, while on this topic, to draw
attention to the numerous members of the Order who,
at this identical time, were earning for themselves,
through the extreme sanctity of their lives, and the
rigid austerity which they practised, the high honour
of canonisation; an honour which, in those days,
marked a life distinguished by a steady and resolute
withdrawal from the lax morality of the age. Amongst
these beatified personages may be noted Ubaldesca,
a sister of the Order who passed her life in the convent
of Carraja, Her sanctity was such that miracles had
K 2

132 A HISTORY OF
been frequently attributed to her during her life ; and
she was especially reputed to have, on one occasion,
rivalled that performed by our Lord at the marriage
feast at Cana, After her decease, which occurred
in 1206, her body performed divers pilgrimages: a
common fate for saints, to whose mortal remains the
piety of succeeding generations very frequently denies
that rest, the acknowledged privilege of the tomb,
which is enjoyed without disturbance by the more
humble and sinful section of humanity. During the
grandmastership of Verdala, the sacred relics of this
pious lady were transported to Malta, where they were
deposited in the conventual church of St. John, and
became an especial object of devotion among the faith
ful, certain indulgences having been, at Verdala's re
quest, granted by the Pope to all worshippers at her
shrine. Here she still remains, and it is to be hoped
will be permitted to rest in peace, until the last trump
shall once more summon her from her narrow bed.
About the same time, another sister of the Order,
named Veronese, started into celebrity from her ex
traordinary devotion to the services of the Hospital.
This lady's beauty was only to be equalled by her piety
and chastity, which latter virtue appears to have been
always so pre-eminent that, according to the veracious
legend which records her life, three young men, who,
upon one occasion, dazzled by her charms, forgot the
respect due to her sex and profession, were struck dead
at her feet; she, however, with that merciful charity,
so natural to her sex, caused them, by her prayers, to be
restored to life, when it is to be hoped that they
became imbued with a due sense of the wickedness of
their ways.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 133
And, lest it should be supposed that it was only
amongst the ladies of the Order that this devotion
and sanctity were to be found, history has also em
balmed the names of many members of the rougher
sex Avho, in addition to all the chivalric exercises of
their profession, rivalled in their religious zeal the
piety even of this fair sisterhood. Conspicuous on
the roll were Hugh, head of the commandery of Genoa.
Gerard Mecati, whose Arirtues are recorded by Paul
Mimi, in his treatise on the nobilities of Florence ; and
Gerland of Poland, who Avas attached to the court of the
Emperor Frederic, in the interests of his Order, where
he set an edifying example to the dissolute courtiers
of that prince, such as completely established his OAvn
reputation for sanctity, without, however, it is to be
feared, having worked any striking reformation amongst
the gay libertines by whom he was surrounded ; and
who were quite content to venerate him without being
in any way tempted to follow his example.
It is difficult to conceive that whilst such shining
lights as these were constantly emanating from the
bosom of the society, and considered themselves pri
vileged in dwelling within the circle of its influence,
there could be anything radically amiss in its con
stitution. That most of the accusations brought
against them were engendered by the malicious jealousy
of their opponents appears to be the most rational
solution of the question, and we are justified in still con
sidering the Order of St. John at this period, even
whilst we admit a serious deviation from the earnest
and simple devotion of its founder, to have been a
pattern for the age, and an admirable school, in which
the youthful devotees of Europe were enabled to find
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134 A HISTORY OF
a free vent for the religious enthusiasm with which
they were fired, without the necessity of placing any
curb upon their martial ardour, at the same time that
they beheld, amidst their leading dignitaries, a most
praiseworthy example for their pious emulation.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 135

CHAP. VI.
REOCCUPATION OF JERUSALEM BY THE CHRISTIANS.  THEIR EXPUL
SION BY THE KORASMINS  BATTLE OF GAZA  DEATH OF VILLE
BRIDE AND ELECTION OF CHATEAUNEUF. — REFORMS IN THE
ORDER. — CRUSADES OF ST. LOUIS.  SANGUINARY COMBAT BETWEEN
THE HOSPITALLERS AND TEMPLARS.  SIEGE OF MARGAT.  SIEGE
AND FALL OP ACRE.
Bertrand de Texis, whose election in 1230 was notified
in the preceding chapter, died in the following year;
and of the career of his successor, Guerin or Guarin,
nothing is known worthy of record, the very date of his
decease being doubtful. It is, however, in most chro
nologies placed in the year 1236, when Bertrand de
Comps was elected to the post of sixteenth Master,
which office he retained till the year 1241,
In addition to the Pope's attack on the discipline and
morals of the Order with which the reader is already
acquainted, Bertrand witnessed the third reoccupation
of Jerusalem by the Latins. Their brief tenure of this
city, after the treaty of Frederic with the sultan of
Egypt had been arranged, was brought to a speedy close
by the latter potentate, who, on the expiration of that
treaty, rejected all attempts at a renewal of its pro
visions, and drove the defenceless and helpless Chris
tians out of the place. In 1240, however, Richard of
Cornwall, brother to Henry IIL, king of England, made
his appearance at Acre, accompanied by a strong body
K 4

136 A HISTORY OF
of English Crusaders ; a council, which Avas held at
Spoletto in 1234, having decreed that another vigorous
effort should be made to rescue the sacred province from
Infidel domination. Divers causes had interfered to
prevent the earlier arrival of this armament, but on its
debarkation at Acre the earl Avas surprised at learning
that the Count of Champagne, who had preceded him
with the French Crois^s, had, after being worsted in
action by the sultan of Damascus, concluded a treaty
so disadvantageous to the Christian cause, that none of
their leaders, with the exception of the Templars, con
sented to accept its provisions.
Upon the arrival of Richard at the scene of action, he
prepared at once to take the field, and from the energy
of his character, and the force which he had at his com
mand, the most sanguine hopes were entertained of his
success. The sultan of Egypt, in Avhose possession the
sacred city and its environs still remained, and who
was at this time embarked in a Avar against the sultan
of Damascus, felt that the time Avas most inopportune
for resisting the demands of the new comers ; he, there
fore, without Avaiting for any aggressive movements on
the part of Richard, offered to him a treaty by which
he bound himself to restore to the Christians the cities
of Jerusalem, Beritus, Nazareth, and Bethlehem, as well
as Mount Thabor, and nearly all the remainder of the
Holy Land. This treaty was accepted by Richard, with
the approbation and by the advice of the dignitaries
of the kingdom, including the Hospitallers, and its pro
visions were at once carried into effect ; the cities men
tioned being given over to the Latins, and immediately
reoccupied by them. Upon this occasion there were no
restrictions imposed as to the fortifying of the city, and

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 137
as it was felt that it was impossible the place could be
held in security without the adoption of prompt mea
sures, the most strenuous exertions were on all sides
made to place the city in a defensible state. For this
purpose the coffers of the Hospital were drained to their
last farthing, and the power of the Order strained to the
uttermost to further the great work.
The Templars, however, indignant that their previous
treaty with the sultan of Damascus should have been
repudiated by the Hospitallers, in their turn now re
fused to associate themselves in the treaty of the lat
ter Avith the sultan of Egypt ; and thus the absurd and
fatal anomaly was to be witnessed of the two Orders
remaining each at war with a prince with whom the
other was in close alliance. To this unfortunate divdsion
much of the fatal result of their next campaign is to be
attributed, a result which Bertrand de Comps was not
doomed to Avitness, he having in 1241 died of the
wounds which he received in an action against the
Turkomans, who had made an irruption into the terri
tories of the prince of Antioch, and whose complete rout
cast a halo of glory over the chivalric end of the gallant
and aged Master.
The short rule of his successor, Peter de Villebride,
was marked by events most disastrous to the fortunes
of the kingdom and of the Order, at whose head the
unanimous voice of the fraternity had placed him. A
savage horde, who dwelt near the shores of the Caspian
Sea, knoAVTi by the name of Korasmins, ha\dng been
driven from their oAvn Avild fastnesses by the Mogul
Tartars, poured OA-^er the neighbouring countries
with the resistless impetuosity of a flood. The leader
of this torrent of barbarians Avas Barbacan, a gene-

138 A HISTORY OF
ral whose skill in war and intelligence in the art of
government were such as to raise him in the scale of
civilisation far above his wild followers. The sultan of
Egypt, naturally fearful of the inroads of this rapacious
swarm, and dreading lest they should turn their steps
in the direction of his territories, endeavoured to divert
the impetuosity of the current into another channel ;
and with a selfishness which the circumstances of the
case rendered pardonable, he determined on sacrificing
his weaker neighbours to the safety of his oAvn kingdom.
With this view he suggested to Barbacan that he would
find but little difficulty in seizing upon the Latin pos
sessions in Syria, and in order still further to induce
him to turn his steps in that direction, he offered to
assist him with a subsidiary force in the undertaking.
This proposition was not of a character likely to meet
with much opposition on the part of a man in the posi
tion of Barbacan, who, expelled from his own mountain
home, had the wide world before hira, and to whom it Avas
perfectly immaterial whether his foe were Christian or
Moslem, provided always that they were weaker than
himself, and the prospect of booty sufficiently tempting
to render the enterprise lucrative.
On, therefore, came the ncAV foe, overrunning and
ravaging the unfortunate province, which had but just
returned to the domination of the Latins, and which
was still suffering most severely from the effects of the
constant and desperate struggles which it had been
doomed to witness. Every effort, which the brief space
of time permitted, had been made by the Hospitallers to
place the sacred city once more in a defensible position ;
and, had a longer warning been vouchsafed to them,
they would doubtless have succeeded in making such

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 139
an obstinate defence, that the undisciplined bands of the
Korasmins would have shattered themselves in vain
against the ramparts. As it was, however, only a fcAV
feeble earthworks had as yet risen ; and, behind these,
the military Orders felt that it would be madness to
attempt a stand. They therefore determined, though
not without much sad and painful deliberation, once
more to abandon to the unhallowed tread of the Infidel
that consecrated soil, the centre of so many aspirations,
and alas ! the grave of so many hopes. Many of the
inhabitants, however, lately established in their new
homes, blinded by the fury of their zeal, and burning
to prevent a renewed desecration of their Saviour's
tomb, persisted in remaining behind, and in opposing to
the death the onward course of the invaders. Others
followed in the track of the military Orders, who, after
evacuating the city, had pitched their camp sufficiently
near to watch the course of events.
As may readily be imagined, the Korasmins found an
easy prey in the fanatical mob of undisciplined en
thusiasts by whom they were confronted. Hurling
themselves in resistless multitudes upon the feeble and
unfinished intrenchments, they carried them at a single
dash ; and, pouring into the city, renewed once more
those scenes of carnage and sacrilege which had been
before enacted on the self-same spot. It is needless to
pause on the painful picture : when savage and un
bridled lust is let loose upon a defenceless multitude,
the result may be easily conceived, and, in the present
instance, the horrors perpetrated fully equalled any
thing which the most vivid imagination could dare to
portray. Truly the curse which had been brought
upon the city of Zion, by the murder of its God, was

140 A HISTORY OF
even yet reaping its bitter fruit ; nor could the torrents
of blood which had so often converted its streets into
shambles, wash away the awful denunciation which that
fell Deicide had provoked.
With a cunning, equalled only by their ferocity, these
barbarians, so soon as they had established themselves
securely within the heart of the city, raised once more
upon its ramparts the standard of the Holy Cross.
Deceived by the sight of this emblem of their religion,
and imagining from its appearance that the enemy must
have been Avorsted in their assault, many fugitive
Christians, who had accompanied the Hospitallers in
their retreat, determined, despite the earnest warnings
of these latter, once more to return to their homes ;
where, entrapped by the ruthless foe, they were speedily
doomed to share the miserable fate of their comrades.
Meanwhile, the Templars having discovered that a
detachment of Egyptians were acting in unison with
the Korasmins, called upon their ally, the sultan of
Damascus, to aid them in repelling his old antagonist.
In reply to this summons, a body of four thousand
Damascene horsemen were despatched by the sultan,
who joined themselves to the military Orders, and to
such of the secular militia as could at the pressure of
the moment be gathered together.
With this reinforcement the Christian army stood its
ground ; and determined upon watching the course
which the victorious Korasmins might take. These
latter did not leave them long in suspense. Satiated
with slaughter, and Avearied with inactivity, after a few
days spent amidst the Avildest revels and the vilest de
bauchery, within the now desolate city, they advanced
in a tumultuous horde, flushed Avith victory, and eager

fe)

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 141
for the fray, to overwhelm the handful of Latins by
whom they were opposed. In this conjuncture, the
councils of the Christians were much divided : the
chiefs of the military Orders advised a prompt retreat ;
feeling that, owing to the enormous disproportion in
their numbers, the chances of a combat must be most
unequal, and consequently desperately hazardous. As,
however, upon the occasion of the expedition into
Egypt, the presumption of one churchman, the legate
Pelagius, had caused the miscarriage of the operation,
so now, by the precipitation of another, the patriarch of
Jerusalem, whose rash advice overcame the prudent
scruples of the other leaders, it Avas decided that they
should stand their ground, and await the issue of a
general engagement. It is one of the most curious
phenomena of the early ages, that ecclesiastics were
always to be found intermingling themselves even in
the most secular matters, where they could hardly be
supposed to have had any concern ; nay, often, as in the
present case, vehemently obtruding their own opinions
in questions of a purely military character, in con
temptuous opposition to those of the most experienced
captains of the age.
On this occasion, the result could not long remain
doubtful ; and the valour of Christian chivalry, though
strained to the utmost, expended itself in vain against
the countless swarms opposed to them. The Latin army,
when drawn up in its battle array, was divided into
three corps. The Hospitallers, supported by the Count
of Jaffa, constituted the left wing ; the Templars, and
the militia of the kingdom, were in the centre ; and the
auxiliary force of Turkoman cavalry formed the right
Aving, Upon this eventful occasion, all those jealousies

142 A HISTORY OF
which had for so long a time divided the mihtary Orders,
and in a great degree neutralised every effort for the
restoration of the kingdom, were extinguished in their
zeal for the common cause ; and the blood of both Hos
pitaller and Templar flowed freely in one united stream,
a worthy sacrifice to their country's weal. For two
whole days the struggle lasted with undiminished
energy ; although, at its very commencement, the Da
mascenes, either from treachery or cowardice, turned
their backs upon the foe, and fled ignominiously from
the field. Their defection left the Korasmins in a
numerical superiority of at least ten to one : still the
Christians held their ground undismayed, and the scale
of victory for some time appeared equally balanced.
It was not, however, within the powers of human en
durance to bear up against the interminable bodies of
new foes, unceasingly poured upon their exhausted ranks
by the indefatigable Barbacan. At length, upon the
evening of the second day, the sun set in fiery gloom
upon the melancholy spectacle afforded by the utter
destruction of the Christian force, which, decimated and
overpoAvered by numbers, was compelled to yield through
pure exhaustion.
Signal as Avas their defeat, it was unaccompanied by
disgrace. Still struggling, though all was lost, the
shattered remnants of the army refused either to turn
or to yield, and there on the very ground where they
stood, now strewn with the mangled and gory corpses
of their comrades, they one by one fell, faithful even
to the end in that holy cause which they had espoused,
and to which their lives and their fortunes had been
consecrated. In this fatal field the Masters of both
Temple and Hospital found a noble grave, in company

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 143
with almost the entire body of their respective Orders ;
only sixteen of the latter, and thirty-three of the
rmer, surviving the indiscriminate slaughter which
marked the close of the struggle. With this disastrous
fight ended all hopes of resisting the victorious advance
of the Korasmins ; the slender relics of the Christian
force sought the shelter of the walls of Acre, where
William de Chateauneuf was raised to the post of
Master, vacant by the death of Peter de Villebride on
the field of Gaza. Prior to his elevation, he had been
a Preceptor in the Order, and it was a letter from his
pen, recording the fatal issue of that battle, from which
most of the details of the campaign have been preserved
on the page of history.
Chateauneuf found himself presiding over the in
terests of his fraternity at a period when they had been
plunged into a state of confusion and distress even
greater than had ever before been their lot. Within
the limits of the Holy Land there only remained a few
feeble and wounded brothers, who, from the heights of
the ramparts of Acre, beheld with grief and indignation
the ravage of that sacred soil which they were no
longer in a position to defend. Spread like so many
locusts over the province, the Korasmins destroyed
far and wide everything Avhich fell within their grasp ;
and whercA'er they turned their steps a heart-rending
Avail of distress and misery arose upon their fell track,
Avhich, like that of the Destroying Angel, showed the
dark traces of their blasting power. Had they remained
united amongst themselves, it is certain that they must
speedily have achieved the destruction of the Christians ;
and there is every probability that they could have even
established themselves in secure and permanent empire

144 A HISTORY OF
on the wrecks of the two Saracen kingdoms of Egypt
and Damascus, Most providentially, however, for the
waning prospects of Christianity, the seeds of jealousy
and mutual animosity speedily sprang up amongst
themselves, commencing in trivial quarrels and unim
portant skirmishes, but gradually increasing in virulence
and intensity, until, eventually, they had so far enfeebled
their poAver as to cease from being any longer an object
of dread to the surrounding potentates. Hemmed in
on all sides by inveterate, and now openly declared
foes, and harassed by the peasantry of the district,
Avhose bitter hatred they had incurred through the
licentious and savage brutality of their conduct, they
gradually diminished in numbers until, ere long, no
trace remained of a power which had so lately been the
terror of the East,
Freed from the imminent peril which had at one
time threatened to annihilate them, Chateauneuf took
the most energetic measures to recruit the ranks of his
fraternity and to restore some semblance of credit to
its exhausted treasury. Every preceptory in Europe
was drained of its members, even novices being in
cluded in the conscription, and vast sums of money
were also remitted from the same sources, so that with
the revivifying power peculiar to the institution, we
find it ere long once again flourishing Avith as stately a
grandeur as of old, and still remaining, in conjunction
with the Templars, the principal, nay almost the only,
support of the kingdom.
Until this time, in order to prevent a Knight from
yielding himself a prisoner to the foe, it had been
esteemed a fundamental doctrine, that no member so
situated should on any account be ransomed from the

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 145
public coffers : now, hoAvever, when their numbers had
become so suddenly and fearfully diminished, it was
deemed advisable for the public weal to depart, for
once, from a rigid adherence to this regulation; and
Chateauneuf despatched an embassy to the sultan of
Egypt, in whose hands the prisoners captured by Bar
bacan at the battle of Gaza had been placed, with in
structions to request their ransom, for which purpose a
sufficient sum had been placed in their hands. The
sultan, however, who was far-sighted enough to perceive,
that in so far as it was the interest of the Hospitallers
to ransom their brethren it must naturally be his policy
to oppose such a consummation, refused in terms of the
most ignominious opprobrium to accede to the request,
quoting to the ambassadors, in support of his decision,
the regulation of their own Order, forbidding any such
transfer. The unfortunate captives were consequently
compelled still to remain in durance vile, whilst the
ambassadors returned to Acre after a bootless errand,
in which much money had been uselessly wasted in
bribery to the officers of the court, only to receive in
the end a mortifying rebuff from the sultan. This re
fusal on his part has been very generally attributed to a
close alliance which is supposed to have existed between
himself and the emperor of Germany, whose persevering
antipathy to the military Orders has been already
touched upon.
Whilst thus restoring the fortunes of the institution,
and re-establishing its power after the rude shock
it had so lately received, Chateauneuf was not un
mindful of interior discipline; and we may gather
from severed analogous circumstances, that at this period
the most rigid austerity was enforced. In support of
VOL. I. L

146 A HISTORY OF
this statement, Ave find a special licence issuing from the
Pope, by which permission is given to the brothers to
enter into conversation with any secular guest who may
chance to be present at their refectory ; otherwise they
are enjoined to preserve a strict silence during the hour
of meal : we also find it recorded by Joinville, the his
torian of the Crusade of St. Louis, that a dispute having
sprung up betAveen the Hospitallers and some French
Knights who had accompanied that expedition, in which
Chateauneuf considered the former to be in the wrong,
that Master condemned the offending brothers to eat
their meals upon the ground, instead of at the common
table of the refectory, and they were expressly forbidden
to drive away any dog or other animal who might
choose to intrude upon their platters during the opera
tion ; nor Was this discipline in any way relaxed until
after the most urgent entreaties on the part of Joinville
himself, on the occasion of a visit which he paid to their
convent. The Crusade of St. Louis of France was the offspring
of the disaster of Gaza, and the consequent loss of the
principal cities of the Holy Land. That monarch, of
Avhom history has recorded every virtue which could
adorn a hero, and whose piety was destined to earn for
him the posthumous honours of canonisation, burning
Avith an ardent and impetuous desire to achieve that
which so many of his predecessors had in vain attempted,
and Avho, whilst on a bed of sickness, had pledged him
self to the undertaking even before he had heard the
news of the fatal day of Gaza, now decided upon leading
in person the chivalry of France to the rescue of their
religion in the East. Accompanied by his three brothers,
the Counts of Artois,- Poictiers, and Anjou, and followed

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 147
by an army of 50,000 Avell-appointed troops, he landed
at Damietta in the summer of 1249, having spent the
previous winter at Cyprus. A very slight resistance
was offered to his landing, and at the close of the short
struggle he found himself master not only of the shore,
but also of the city itself, with its powerful fortress,
whose garrison, struck with panic at the bold and daring
advance of the French chivalry, and mindful of the
scenes which had been enacted on the same spot on the
occasion of its previous capture by John of Brienne, had
abandoned the citadel and taken to flight, leaving the
occupation of the town open to the French.
Whilst at Damietta, Louis was joined by the whole
strength of the military Orders, led by their respective
chiefs in person, and also by a small body of 200 English
lances under the command of William Longspee, who
had already served with distinction in the previous
Crusade of the Earl of Cornwall, An advance towards
Cairo having been decided on, the army proceeded with
out interruption as far as Massoura, a fortified town
situated near the confluence of the two branches of the
Nile. Here they found the entire Egyptian force await
ing their arrival, within an intrenched camp on the far
side of the river. For some time all the efforts which
they made to achieve the passage, by means of a tem
porary bridge, were rendered futile through the oppo
sition which the Egyptians brought to bear upon them.
At length, however, a Bedouin Arab, tempted by the
prospect of a large bribe, offered to conduct them to a
practicable ford, through which the Opposite bank might
be readily gained. The king directed his brother, the
Count of Artois, to cross the ford at the head of a
chosen body of troops, consisting of the military Orders
L 2

148 A HISTORY OF
and the English Knights under William Longspee. The
Arab was found faithful to his trust ; the ford was at
tained, the river passed, and the enemy, who had vainly
endeavoured to oppose the operation, driven from the
field. At this point a most unaccountable panic appears
to have overAvhelmed the Saracens : abandoning their
intrenchments, under the idea that the whole French
army was upon them, and even deserting Massoura in
their terror, they fled in every direction, leaving the
Count of Artois in undisputed possession of both camp
and city. Had matters ended here, and had cool coun
sels been allowed to prevail, all would have been well ;
but it Avas the fate in every expedition which we have
had to record, that some rash and hot-headed zealot was
invariably permitted to overbear the more prudent ad
vice of those who, from their position and long ac
quaintance Avith the warfare of Palestine, were best
qualified to direct operations. The Count of Artois,
rejecting with scorn and contumely the prudent advice
tendered to him by Sonnac, the Grand Master of the
Temple, supported though it was by Longspee and the
other leaders, determined to push his advantage to the
utmost, and heedless of the paucity of his numbers,
dashed in hot pursuit after the retreating foe. These
latter soon perceived the absurdity of their panic, and
the numerical inferiority of the Christians: rallying
rapidly at the call of Bendocdar, a valiant Mamelouk
chief who had assumed the command after the fall of
Sacadeen, killed in the previous engagement, they turned
fiercely on the foe, and drove them in the utmost con
fusion back into Massoura, Here they found matters
much changed from the time when the city, abandoned
by its defenders, had first fallen into their hands. The

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 149
inhabitants, perceiving them hard pressed by the Moslem
without, and almost insignificant in their numbers, com
menced to harass them within the walls of the place by
carrying on a street warfare of so irregular a nature,
that the superior discipline of the Knights gave them
little or no advantage in the struggle. In this combat,
the whole detachment was annihilated. The Count of
Artois, Longspee, and a host of other Knights Avere
slain, whilst the Hospitaller Chateauneuf fell a prisoner
into the hands of the Saracens,
Louis beheld with the niostlively grief and indignation
this unfortunate issue to a combat commenced under
such glorious auspices ; and, crossing the ford with the
remainder of his army, he advanced rapidly to the
rescue. Here he was met by the Saracens, led on by
Bendocdar, now completely rallied from their panic,
flushed with their late success, and burning to wipe out
the remembrance of their recent flight in Christian
blood. The combat was long and obstinate, and at its
close victory had not decided itself for either party,
both equally claiming the advantage. Whatever the phy
sical results of the day itself may have been, its moral
results were most clearly in favour of the Infidel; hemmed
in on the ground which he occupied, and cut off from
all supplies on the side of Damietta by a Saracen force
despatched by Bendocdar for that purpose, it was not
long ere Louis found his army in a very similar predica
ment to that of John of Brienne. Pestilence of a most
virulent and loathsome nature broke out in the midst of
his camp, which rapidly became converted into one vast
grave. Unable to retreat so long as a Saracen force
interposed between himself and Damietta, Louis in this
strait meditated a sudden attack in that quarter, trust-
L 3

150 A HISTORY OF
ing that, by taking the Infidel unawares, he and his
enfeebled army might be enabled tocuttheir way through.
Before, however, he could carry this intention into effect,
he was himself attacked in his intrenchments by the
whole Turkish army. Wasted with disease, and pros
trate from starvation, his troops were enabled to make
but a slender resistance ; nor was the chivalric daring
which on that day distinguished his own conduct able
to avert the impending catastrophe. Rejecting all advice
to seek that safety in flight which might have been his,
could he have brought himself to abandon his followers,
he continued to struggle gallantly to the last ; when, in
company with ^the Counts of Anjou and of Poictiers,
he fell a prisoner into the hands of Bendocdar.
That chief behaved towards his illustrious captives
with a magnanimity and generosity rare in the annals
of Moslem warfare, and treated them with the utmost
consideration and respect, A treaty of peace was im
mediately set on foot, the terms of which could require
but little dispute where one of the negociating parties
found himself in such a helpless condition. In return
for the ransom of himself and his army, Louis covenanted
to pay the sum of 800,000 bezants ; and to restore to
the Saracens possession of Damietta. In order to pro
vide the stipulated amount, the Hospitallers freely placed
their coffers at the king's disposal ; but the Templars,
ever greedy and avaricious, unwilling to part with their
hoards, brought forward the rules of their Order as
opposed to such an appropriation. Necessity, however,
knows no laAv, and the king, disgusted with their ill-
timed avarice, felt that the conjuncture Avas of too grave
a character to admit of much delicacy on his part. He
lost no time, therefore, in making a forcible acquisition of

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 151
their treasure to complete the sum demanded for his
liberation. As soon as the terms of the treaty had been
complied with on both sides, Louis and the relics of his
array returned to Acre, utterly unable to attempt any
thing further for the good cause ; and there he was in
duced to remain during the space of four years, partly
owing to the entreaties of the military Orders, who con
sidered his presence as a great safeguardfor the precarious
remnant of the kingdom, and partly from his own unwil
lingness to return to France whilst labouring under the
disgrace of a reverse.
During his residence at Acre, he received a message
from the chief of the Hassassins, demanding the payment
of black mail as protection from assassination, and
averring that all the other Christian monarchs who had
warred in the East had subscribed to the custom, and
purchased their safety by the payment of the toll.
Chateauneuf no sooner heard of this audacious demand,
than he instantly dismissed the ambassadors, with the
assurance, that if the Old Man of the Mountain did not
Avithin fifteen days make ample reparation for his inso
lence to the monarch, he should receive a visit from the
whole force of the Order, on which occasion he might
rest assured that summary chastisement would be in
flicted. Within the stipulated time the ambassadors
made their appearance with the required amende: a ring
and a shirt being tendered to Louis on the part of their
chief ; the former symbol typifying that he would encir
cle him with his protection, and the latter that he would
cling to him with attachment.
Louis left the Holy Land in 1254, and the next few
years were spent by the military friars in securing them
selves within those posts which they still retained.
h 4

152 A HISTORY OF
During this lull in the political storm, the feuds which
had so long existed between themseh'es and the Tem
plars, but which the urgency of their mutual peril had
temporarily quelled, now broke forth with rencAved
virulence. Commencing in single combats, or in small
detached parties, they rarely met Avithout a struggle ;
and as the flow of blood on either side embittered the
Avarfare, they gradually came to attack one another in
considerable bodies, until at length, in the year 1259, the
whole force of the fraternities met in a general engage
ment. Victory favoured the side of the Hospitallers,
and the carnage was so fearful that scarce a Templar
was left to survive the day so fatal to his Order, It was
long ere they were enabled to rally from this fratricidal
bloAV,and by the time that their ranks had been sufficiently
recruited to empower them once more to show front
against their rivals, the renewal of hostilities against their
common foe overcame the bitterness of civil discord.
Shortly after this sanguinary contest, William de
Chateauneuf breathed his last, in the month of October
1259 ; and Hugh de Revel was nominated his successor.
This Knight, the nineteenth Master of the Order, was
the first who received from Pope Clement IV, the
rank of Grand-Master, by which title the head of the
fraternity Avas ahvays afterwards known. The bull,
by Avhich this title Avas first conferred, was dated 18th
November 1267.
Under the auspices of this Grand-Master, some vital
changes were made in the constitution of the Order
as regarded its European property. The various pre
ceptories had been in the habit of remitting the surplus
of their revenues, after deducting what was necessary
for their own subsistence, to the general treasury in

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 153
Palestine. As, however, in many cases, sometimes owing
to the mismanagement of the administrators, and some
times from causes over which they had no control,
the balance destined for remittance to the East Avas
not forthcoming ; and as, in order to support the enor
mous expenditure of a perpetual war, it was necessary
that a positive and considerable sum should be relied
on from their European possessions, it was decided,
in a general council held at Cesarea, that a definite
payment should be allotted to each preceptory, based
on the receipts of a term of years, which they should
be bound to remit to the convent under all circum
stances; the balance of the revenue being retained
for their own expenditure. This annual payment,
Avhich partook very much of the nature of a rent-charge,
Avas termed a responsion, and was usually fixed at
one-third of the gross receipts. The commission which
was sent to each preceptor, to announce the changes
proposed to be introduced, commenced with the Latin
word Commandamus, whence arose the word com
mander, by which title the preceptor became eventually
known. Priories were at the same time established,
embracing several of these preceptories, at the head
of which were placed priors, who were to have supreme
control over all the establishments in their several dis
tricts, and who were to collect and remit the responsions
due from them. The prior was to maintain a strict
surveillance over his preceptories, and to act as a
salutary check over the malpractices and extravagances
of the preceptors, Avhose properties he was bound
constantly to visit, and to ascertain, by personal obser
vation, that due economy and discipline were practised.
Whilst thus organising the internal discipline of his

154 A HISTORY OF
Order, Hugh de Revel was at the same time making
the most strenuous exertions to maintain a bold front
against the perpetual aggressions of his relentless foe;
though, feeble as were his means of defence, and over
whelming the power against which he was called to
contend, it is not surprising that each year witnessed
some new calamity. In 1263, the sultan succeeded in
gaining possession of the fortress of Azotus, in which
ninety Knights of the Hospital had been placed by
Revel to conduct the defence at the head of the gar
rison. One by one these brave men fell under the
ruthless scimitar of the Moslem ; and it was not until
the last of their number had received his death wound
on the blood-stained ramparts, that Bendocdar suc
ceeded in entering the town. The glorious and obsti
nate defence of this place adds yet another name to
that long list which the deeds of the Hospitallers in
the Holy Land had caused to be enrolled in imperish
able characters upon the annals of history ; for never
had that spirit of devotion, which they invariably
displayed to the sacred cause they had espoused, shone
forth with a brighter lustre than during this glorious
though fatal struggle.
In the following year the Templars were, in their
turn, compelled to yield the fortress of Saphoura,
and these losses were speedily followed by others of
still greater consequence. Antioch, Laodicea and Karac
passed for ever from the Christian rule, and Acre itself
was only for a brief period preserved by a report of
an anticipated succour from the king of Cyprus ; which
induced Bendocdar, who dreaded another Crusade, to
retrace his steps.
The second Crusade of Louis, in which he met his

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 155
death from the pestilence which annihilated his army,
brought no relief to the suffering Latins of Syria,
that expedition having been diverted into Africa, where
it rapidly melted away in the pestilential swamps of
Tunis. The efforts made in 1271, by Prince Edward
of England, though conducted with energy, were equally
fruitless, owing to the insufficiency of the force by
Avhich he was supported, and after having narrowly
escaped death from the dagger of one of the band of
Hassassins,* that prince returned to Europe, leaving
the prospects of the Christians in Syria utterly hopeless,
although he had, more through the terror of his name
and lineage, than from any other cause (the reputation
of his ancestor, Richard Cceur de Lion, being still a
household word throughout the Saracen provinces of
the East), obtained a truce for ten years, during which
period, a short breathing time was permitted to the
* It is a painful duty when the historian is called upon to dispel
the romance which the poetry of our forefathers has interwoven with
the narration of facts. The story of the devotion of the princess
Eleanor, who is said to have sucked the poisoned wound of her hus
band, bears with it a moral so useful to the fair sex in all ages, that
it appears somewhat ungracious to refuse credence to so touching an
episode. There is, however, too much reason to fear that this sweet
tale of feminine devotion had its origin in the fertile brain of some
monkish chronicler, and that Edward owed his cure to remedies
which, whilst they were far less romantic, were probably more potent.
Immediately after the receipt of his wound, and whilst the result
appeared likely to prove fatal, Edward made his will. It was dated
at Acre, June 18th, 1272; and the subscribing witnesses were Hugh
de Eevel, Grand-Master of the Hospital, and Thomas Berard, G-rand-
Master of the Temple. " En testimoniaunce de la queu chose, a ceo
testament avons fet mettre nostre sel, et avons pries les honurables
Bers frere Hue, Mestre de I'Hospital, et frere Thomas Berard, Mestre
du Temple, ke a cest escrit meisent ausi lur sens." — Acta Rymeri,
tom. i. ad ann. 1272.

156 A HISTORY OF
harassed and dispirited Latins. During this peaceful
lull, Hugh de Revel was called to his fathers, in the year
1278, and in his stead Nicholas de Lorgue was en
trusted with the baton of Grand-Master.
The death of Bendocdar, in 1281, caused the treaty
Avhich he had made with Prince Edward to be brought
to a premature close, and the atabal of the Infidel once
more aroused the military friars from their brief repose.
The commencement of the new war was signalised by
an important success on the part of the Christians.
One of the Moslem commanders, whilst on a plundering
expedition, unwarily conducted his forces within reach
of the fortress of Margat, still an important stronghold
of the Hospitallers. The Knights who constituted its
garrison sallied boldly forth, and encountering the
enemy Avhilst they were encumbered with pillage, and
consequently in a state of disorder, easily routed them,
and annihilated the whole body. During the following
year the sultan, enraged at this disaster, despatched an
army of 5000 men to the attack of Margat, determined
to wreak a bitter revenge on the authors of the previous
reverse. Undismayed at the numbers of their opponents,
the Hospitallers, who felt that they were too few in
number to meet the foe in open combat, determined to
have recourse to stratagem ; in furtherance of this
object, they posted a portion of their force in ambush,
without the gates of the city, and the remainder ad
vanced towards the enemy, as though determined to
give battle. After a brief struggle, and almost at the
first onset, they pretended to yield, and fled towards
the toAvn, as though struck with a sudden panic ; pre
serving, however, their ranks with a precision which
should ha\'e led the Saracen to suspect that some wile

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 157
lurked beneath so easy a victory. Heedless, however,
of any such tokens, the Moslem, hurried away by the
ardour of pursuit, dashed after the retiring foe with all
the disorder of a rapid advance, and the confidence of a
victory already gained. The scene, however, was soon
destined to change ; once led into the defile, Avhere the
ambuscade was placed, the flying Hospitallers halted in
their career, and turned fiercely upon the foe ; and whilst
the Saracens were preparing for this sudden and un
looked-for attack on the part of those whom they had,
as they conceived, been driving before them like chaff,
the din and tumult of strife were simultaneously heard
on their flanks, and in their rear. Thrown into the
wildest and most hopeless confusion by this sudden ap
pearance of enemies on every side, little or no resistance
was offered ; the struggle speedily became a carnage,
and the battle field a heap of mangled corpses, so that
of the whole force but a very slender remnant survived,
to convey to the sultan of Egypt the news of this fresh
and still more serious disaster to his arms.
Aroused to a pitch almost of frenzy at the double
defeat which he had sustained, the sultan vowed a deep
and bitter revenge against the Christians, nor did he
permit his purpose to swerve, although for some years
the internal affairs of his own kingdom interfered to
prevent his carrying it into execution. At length,
however, snatching an interval of leisure, he himself
advanced against Margat, at the head of a formidable
army, in the year '1287. Aware of his intention,
De Lorgue had thrown a considerable reinforcement
into the place, the garrison of which calmly awaited the
onset. The sultan, on arriving in front of the walls,
commenced the siege in due form. The place was in-

158 A HISTOEY OF
vested, trenches were dug, battering rams, towers, and
other engines constructed, and all the usual routine of
a siege in those days strictly adhered to. On the part
of the garrison every possible impediment was thrown
in the Avay of the besiegers, and their constant and
energetic sorties created so many obstructions, that the
sultan appeared to gain little or no advantage over the
place. Whilst, however, this open warfare was being carried
on, so much in favour of the besieged, a secret and in
sidious foe was at work, by which their speedy doAvnfall
was doomed to be compassed. The attack on the
fortress through the ordinary method of siege opera
tions was but a blind on the part of the sultan, who,
whilst attracting the attention of the garrison in this
manner, had secretly caused its ramparts to be under
mined in every direction, supporting the tottering walls
with huge beams of wood. Having completely accom
plished this design, he summoned the garrison to sur
render; a message which was received with shouts of
scorn by men who conceived that they had foiled his
worst attempts. What was their dismay and conster
nation on being informed that those boasted walls,
behind which they deemed themselves so secure, awaited
but a signal to crumble beneath their feet? Two of
their number were despatched to ascertain the correct
ness of the statement ; and these having received ocular
demonstration of the fact, it was felt that further resist
ance was hopeless, and the toAvn was surrendered to the
sultan, the garrison being permitted to evacuate it, and
retire to Acre. Immediately on obtaining possession of
this fortress, which had during so many years held
them at defiance, the Saracens razed its defences to the

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 159
ground, and thus for ever prevented its re-occupation
by the Christians.
The last sad scene of this bloody drama was now
rapidly approaching, for place after place fell into the
victorious hands of the Sultan, until at length through
out the land the banner of the Cross waved noAvhere
save on the walls of Acre only. Nicholas de Lorgue
was not, however, destined to witness the fatal denoue
ment of the sad tragedy then enacting. Having visited
the Holy See for the purpose of making a personal
appeal to the Pope on behalf of the waning Church of
Syria, and having utterly failed in the attempt — for in
truth Europe was weary of sending her best soldiers,
and her hardly-earned treasures, to be fruitlessly wasted
upon the burning sands of Palestine — he returned in
despair to Acre, where he breathed his last in 1289.
John de Villiers, a French Knight, was elected in his
place, the fraternity feeling that in the perilous and
desperate situation in which they were placed, it was
absolutely necessary that their fortunes should be en
trusted to the guidance of one whose mind was calm
and far-seeing in the midst of danger, and the intre
pidity of whose character was beyond the shadow of a
doubifc. These qualifications being eminently possessed
by ViUiers, no dissentient voice was raised against his
advancement to a post which was in truth rather one
of peril and honour, than of personal advantage.
After the capture of Jerusalem by Saladin, the city
of Acre became the metropolis of Christianity in the
East; and its favourable situation on the sea-coast
rendered it the mart of that vast commerce which
annually flowed, both eastward and westAvard, in the
mutual exchange of the treasures of Europe and Asia.

160 A HISTORY OF
The fortifications consisted of a double rampart, by
which the city was begirt and entirely enclosed on the
land side: numerous flanking towers, placed in such
close proximity that they effectually supported each
other, strengthened this enceinte, the walls of which
Avere so broad, that two chariots could Avith facihty
pass abreast on their summit. The fortifications had
been strengthened by the accumulated additions of ages ;
each of the most celebrated amongst the Crusaders, who
had at different periods resided Avithin its walls, having
added somewhat to the defences. St. Louis of France,
in particular, had incurred considerable outlay in his
desire to strengthen, as far as possible, this last and
most important stronghold which the Christians pos
sessed in the East.
The magnificence of the town itself has been a fertile
subject for the descriptive talents of historians. The
streets Avere Avide and regular, the squares spacious, the
public buildings imposing and grand, and the houses,
which were all built either of marble, or the finest cut
stone, were constructed of equal heights, and with flat
roofs, so that it was easy to pass from end to end of the
town, without descending into the streets. They boasted
in every quarter of the city of the luxury of glass
windows, then still far from common in Europe, and
possessed even the yet greater refinement of stained
glass in great perfection ; an art in which they were far
in advance of the nations of the West. Tradition revels
in the picture which it draws of the splendour of all
connected with this magnificent city. Silken canopies
and awnings are said to have been stretched from side
to side of the principal streets, for protection from the
rays of the midday sun, shedding a rich and subdued

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 161
light on all around. The wealth of the world appears
to have concentrated itself upon this favoured spot, and
to have drawn thither the representatives of almost
every nation under the sun.
So vast a congregation of varied ingredients, and such
a constant stream of wealth flowing through its precincts,
naturally engendered a vicious state of existence, and
we find the city, in these its last days, a scene of reck
less turbulence and unbridled debauchery. Prostitu
tion, drunkenness, and other vices too odious to be
particularised, stalked rampant through its streets, and
the gaily-dressed and painted harlot of Acre was cele
brated throughout the nations of the East, It was
thronged by the inhabitants of no less than seventeen
different countries, speaking different languages, go
verned by different laws, each occupying a separate and
distinct portion of the town, having no community of
interests with each other, and rendering allegiance to
no supreme head ; consequently, every species of vice
and wickedness flourished unchecked, and the general
demoralisation was such, that the city Avas become a
complete sink of iniquity, so much so, that like Sodom
of old, the cry of it had gone up unto the Lord, and its
doom had been declared.
Many foul acts of Avanton outrage having been com
mitted on the Moslems of the neighbourhood, through
the brigandage of some of its heterogeneous inhabitants,
the Sultan Mansour, who only awaited a plausible ex
cuse to complete the extermination of the Christians in
Palestine, demanded instant reparation for these wrongs.
The Grand-Masters of the military Orders both urged
a prompt compliance with a request which, whilst per
fectly reasonable in itself, was backed by the Avhol©
VOL I. M

162 A HISTORY OF
power of Egypt, a power against which recent events
had taught them that they were utterly unable to cope ;
they justly, therefore, dreaded the wrath which the
refusal to make reparation Avould necessarily provoke,
and which they felt they had no adequate means of
withstanding. Their advice was neglected with scorn,
the counsels of prudence were stigmatised as cowardice,
an ansAver of defiance Avas returned, and ere long the
inhabitants learned with dismay that the entire strength
of the Egyptian empire was on its Avay to crush this
last stronghold of Christianity,
Mansour did not live to carry out the enterprise him
self, having been poisoned by one of his generals whilst
on the march to Acre ; but his son, Khaled, stimulated
by the last words of his father, who had directed that
his corpse should not receive the rites of sepulture until
after the capture of the city had been accomplished,
soon appeared before its Avails with an army which the
Arabian historians have computed at 160,000 foot, and
60,000 horse. Undismayed by this enormous force, the
military Orders, at the first sound of the Infidel atabal,
prepared to defend their city to the uttermost, or, fol
lowing the example of so many of their brethren, to
perish in the effort. As the undisputed sovereignty of
the seas was still in their possession, they at once
removed from the city, and embarked for Cyprus, the
whole of the non-combatant portion of the inhabitants,
leaving as a garrison a strength of some 12,000 men, in
addition to those who were serving under the banners
of the Hospital and Temple, Henry II, , king of Cyprus,
in whose person rested at this time the sovereignty of
Jerusalem, on learning the strait to which this solitary
remnant of his kingdom was reduced, landed in the city

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 163
with a reinforcement of 200 Knights, and 500 men-at-
arms, and this was the sole auxiliary force upon which
the garrison was enabled to rely as a support in their
resistance against the countless hosts by whom they
were beleaguered. This was therefore not a moment
for ceremony, and in the choice of a commandant, the
claims of the king, whose reputation as a soldier was,
to say the least, of a very doubtful character, were over
looked in favour of one whose military renown and
experience in arms were of a far higher stamp, and
William de Beaujeu, Grand-Master of the Temple, was
unanimously appointed to the onerous post. One of his
first acts was to refuse with scorn the most munificent
offers, which were tendered by Khaled, to tempt him to
surrender the tOAvn ; a magnanimity which secured for
him the perfect confidence of his garrison, who felt that
whatever perils they might be called upon to undergo
from the scimitar of the foe, they had nothing to dread
from treachery at home.
The siege was pushed by the Infidels with the greatest
vigour, and the defence of the Christians was equally
obstinate. Closer and closer were drawn the hostile
trenches, and day by day saAV their battalions encircling
the doomed city Avithin a narrower grasp. Fearful was
the effusion of blood which marked the contest. Sortie
after sortie was made by the Christians, led on by the
heroic Beaujeu, in which prodigies of valour proclaimed
the desperation with which they combated, and the piles
of Saracen dead which lay strewn along the plain marked
the fatal track of the Latin squadrons. With such an
army, hoAvever, as that which fought under the banner
of Khaled, the slaughter of a few thousands could have
but little effect in enfeebling his attacks or averting his
M 2

164 A HISTORY OF
fell purpose. Closer beneath the walls he pushed his
advances, until at length he was enabled to bring his
battering-rams into active play, whilst at the same time
his miners Avere busily engaged in undermining the
various towers by which the ramparts Avere flanked.
Crash after crash marked the successive doAvnfall of
their bulwarks, yet still they struggled on with the
most indomitable perseverance, and a courage whose
heroism had in it something quite sublime.
At last the Cursed Tower, one of the principal points
of defence in the city, shared the common fate, and
opened a breach in the most vulnerable part of the
ramparts. Henry of Cyprus Avith his auxiliaries had
been stationed at this point, and gallantly maintained
the breach against every effort of the Moslem until
night intervened to cause a cessation of the struggle;
then, however, perceiving that a rencAval of the combat
on the morrow Avould render his situation desperate,
and in all probability lead to his capture, if not death,
he determined on abandoning the post, and secretly
regaining the shelter of his ships. Alleging as a reason
the necessity for repose which the events of the day
had rendered imperative for his force, he yielded the
post to some Teutonic Knights, promising faithfully to
resume it at daybreak the next morning ; instead of
Avhich, having hurried on board his fleet, he set sail
for Cyprus, under cover of night, and abandoned the
heroic remnant of the garrison to their fate. The next
morning at daybreak the assault was renewed by the
Saracens AA'ith greater determination than ever, but the
Teutonic Knights, who retained the post thus basely
deserted, presented an impassable barrier of steel to
their onset. Fiercely throughout the day the combat

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 165
raged around the deadly breach, until at length towards
evening, overborne by numbers, and exhausted by their
now prolonged defence, the Germans gave way, and the
foe, Avith loud shouts of exultation, poured into the
place. At this critical moment, when all appeared lost,
Villiers, whose enthusiastic zeal always led him where
the fight Avas thickest, comprehending at a glance the
peril of the situation, directed his marshal to rush Avith
the Hospitallers to the rescue. On came that fiery
phalanx, like a wall of steel, hurling itself with irre
sistible force against the advancing stream of Moslems,
AA'ho were pouring through the now defenceless breach.
Never was the white cross of the Order displayed in
deadlier fray ; long and obstinate was the struggle ; the
one party striving to retain the advantage they had
gained, and the other equally strenuous in their efforts
once more to drive the foe beyond their Avails. At
length, the impetuous valour of the Avarriors of the
Cross overcame every obstacle, and the terror-stricken
Moslem, still struggling with his foe to the last, was
once again hurled backward over the breach, and forced
to retire with discomfiture to his intrenchments.
This was the last transient gleam of success which
flashed upon the Christian cause. Innumerable fresh
battalions were still at the command of Khaled, and
these were poured in constant succession by their deter
mined general against the exhausted and enfeebled
defenders of the town. Thrice on the foUoAving day
was the city lost, and as often regained by its dauntless
garrison ; but on each occasion the impossibility of
maintaining the desperate struggle became more and
more apparent ; and though each noble warrior still
brandished his bloody falchion undismayed, and trod
M 3

166 A HISTORY OF
the rampart Avith a proud determination that the Moslem
should cross it only over his lifeless corse, yet it was
evidently the energy of desperation, and not of hope ;
and Beaujeu, Avith his coadjutors, felt that nothing
short of a miracle could rescue the doomed city. Even
in this hopeless condition the idea of a surrender never
appears to have been mooted. Though it was beyond
the power of these soldiers of Christianity to retain
their footing in this last stronghold of their faith, still
there yet remained to them one duty, which they pre
pared themselves to perform, and this Avas to seal their
devotion with their blood.
At length dawned the fatal morning when the sacri
fice was destined to be consummated, and Avhose sun
was to set upon the complete expulsion of the Latins
from Syria, Early in the day the marshal of the Hos
pitallers, whose noble daring had on more than one
occasion been the means of rescuing the city from im
mediate capture, fell at the head of his Order, Avhile
defending a breach which had been made practicable in
the ramparts near the gate of St, Anthony. Dismayed
at the loss of this gallant soldier, Beaujeu turned to
Villiers, and requested him, as a last resource, to at
tempt a diversion, by sallying out of the town and
attacking the enemy's camp, trusting in this manner to
obtain breathing time in which to re-fortify the post.
In willing obedience to a mandate which accorded Avell
¦fvith the fiery ardour of his character, Villiers hastily
assembled a troop of White Cross Knights, and issuing
from the city by a side gate, made a circuit, so as if
possible to fall upon the flank of the foe unperceived.
Khaled was, however, too experienced a general to
alloAV himself to be thus taken unawares, and Villiers

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 167
found an overwhelming force of cavalry drawn up to
receive him. Feeling that his stratagem had failed, and
that it would be sheer madness to attempt an attack on
the dense and serried ranks in his front, Villiers re
luctantly turned rein, Avith the intention of re-entering
the town. Here, however, he learnt that their gallant
leader Beaujeu was slain ; that the Infidels had estab
lished themselves on the breach of St. Anthony ; and
that all was lost.
Perceiving that under these disastrous circumstances
his presence could be of no further avail, and that it
now became his duty to rescue such of his Knights as
had hitherto escaped the scimitar of the foe, from the
massacre Avhich was even at that moment flooding the
streets with blood, he drew off tOAvards the shore, Avith
the intention of embarking them on board the galleys
which still remained at anchor in the roadstead. This
was, after some difficulty, accomplished; the enemy
being held in check by the archers, who, posted upon
the vessels' decks, kept up an incessant discharge of
arrows upon their advancing squadrons ; and thus the
sad and slender relics of that proud fraternity, who had
during so many years erected the white cross of their
Order as a bulwark, impassable to the Moslem, turned
their backs upon the sacred soil of their adoption.
Broken in spirit, faint Avith exhaustion, and over
powered by an adverse destiny, they now, after two
centuries of incessant warfare, found themselves floating
on the wide ocean, a body of homeless wanderers, Avith
out an aim in view, or a purpose to accomplish. Sad
fate for men, who in their own persons, as well as in
those of their predecessors, had achieved so much for
Christianity, and had gained such imperishable renown,
M 4

168 A HISTORY OF
— a renown which reflected a still brighter halo from
the fatal struggle now brought to such an unfortunate
issue. Amidst the despairing shrieks of the captive
inhabitants, and the ferocious shouts of exultation from
the victorious Moslem, that were borne upon the wings
of the wind, and that formed their last adieu to that
land which they had loved so well, they turned the
proAVS of their galleys westward, and reluctantly wended
their sorrowful way towards the island of Cyprus;
leaving nought behind them but one vast blank of de
solation and despair.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 169

CHAP. VII.
ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ORDER IN CYPRUS.  ITS FIRST NAVAL
ARMAMENTS.  DEATH OF JOHN DE VILLIERS AND ELECTION OF
ODON DE PINS  HIS MONASTIC SECLUSION. — DISSATISFACTION OF
THE ORDER.  DEATH OP ODON DE PINS.  ACCESSION OP WILLIAM
DE VILLARET  EXPEDITION INTO PALESTINE.  PROJECT FOR THE
CAPTURE OF RHODES  PREPARATIONS POR THAT OPERATION. 
DEATH OF AVILLIAM DE VILLARET AND ACCESSION OF FULKE DE VIL
LARET. — CAPTURE OF RHODES, — DESTRUCTION OP THE ORDER OF
THE TEMPLE,
The shattered and enfeebled relics of the unfortunate'
garrison of Acre found shelter within the island of
Cyprus, where Henry of Lusignan, anxious to remove
the stain cast upon his name by his dastardly flight
from the beleaguered city, welcomed them with open
arms. The town of Limisso was accorded to them as a
residence; and here the Hospitallers, for the fourth
time, re-established their convent; and, after a brief
repose, commenced making such arrangements for the
re-organisation of their body as the exigencies of the
case seemed to require.
An imperative order was at once issued for each
grand priory to despatch to Cyprus without delay all
the available members who might be residing within its
limits ; and this injunction was obeyed with so much
enthusiasm, that ere the expiration of many months

170 A HISTORY OF
the attenuated ranks of the fraternity at Limisso once
more became augmented into somewhat of their pristine
magnitude. Nor was it in numbers only that welcome
contributions poured in from Europe ; the coffers of
every priory Avas drained to the uttermost for the
assistance of the general treasury ; so that they were
enabled again to open their Hospital, and to recom
mence the practice of those religious functions which
had been so rudely disturbed by the repeated aggressions
of the Infidel,
Although the Holy Land had completely passed away
from the power of the Christians, the numbers of the
pilgrims who annually sought its shores -remained un
abated ; the duty, therefore, once again devolved on the
military friars of rendering them such protection and
escort on the road as lay within their means. For this
purpose, the galleys which had been employed in their
conveyance from Acre were again brought into re
quisition ; and the brethren, driven from that sacred
soil to whose protection they had so long devoted them
selves, adopted a fresh career ; and on the new
element which they had chosen, soon succeeded in de
monstrating to their Saracen foe that the flag of their
Order was to be as much dreaded when waving over
their galleys, as it had been of yore when borne tri
umphantly in the van during the constant struggles of
the preceding two centuries. To the various ports of
Italy and the Adriatic these new fleets wended their
way, in the months of March and August ; and, col
lecting the grateful bands of wandering devotees from
these several points of embarkation, they escorted them
safely to the haven of their wishes ; whence, as soon as
they had., satisfied the cravings of their religious en-

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 171
thusiasm, they once more accompanied them home to
the land of their fathers.
In these passages they not unfrequently encountered
the hostile galleys of the Infidel, which, scenting their
prey from afar, like the vulture on the battle field, Avere al
ways to be found hovering around their would-be victims.
They were not long, however, in discovering that their
old foe had lost none of his vigour, and was as dauntless
in enterprise as they had knoAvn him of old ; and nume
rous Turkish prizes, which ere long graced the harbour of
Cyprus, were the first promising tokens of that maritime
supremacy which was eventually to assert itself over
the waters of the Mediterranean, Many of these prizes
were very rich, and individual Knights had taken advan
tage of their position to secure some of that wealth
for themselves, which should have found its way into
the public treasury. The discipline of the Order had
been rudely shaken by the disaster of Acre ; and the
sudden flush of prosperity which thus beamed upon them
in this first commencement of their new career, still
further loosened the bonds of due restraint. The very
island upon which they had established their convent
bore amidst its balmy breezes the seeds of that luxu
rious voluptuousness which from the earliest ages has
been its characteristic ; and the Hospitaller, released
from the restraint and the privations of a successful
cruise, sought to make amends for the toils he had
undergone by a period of luxury, if not of dissipation.
Two general chapters were held by order of John de
Villiers, in order to check this rising tendency to display
and self-gratification. No Knight Avas for the future
to be permitted the possession of more than three horses;
and all adornment in his equipnjents Avas once more

172 A HISTORY OF
strictly forbidden. At the same time, stringent regula
tions were laid down respecting the debts which might
be left by a brother at his death ; and the mode in which
they were to be defrayed. From the fact of such a
regulation being required at all, it appears pretty evident
that these fast members of the Hospital Avere not con
tent with spending the proceeds of their successful
cruises in a manner little becoming those who had taken
the oaths of poverty and chastity ; but, in the same way
as we notice with the fast men of the present day, they
must needs have entailed upon themselves the aristo
cratic appendage of debts. It was ordained, that in case
the household and personal property of the Knight were
not sufficient to liquidate his liabilities, they were to be
defrayed out of the funds which he had originally con
secrated to the Order on his admission ; a method of
payment which seems likely to have pressed far more
severely on the public treasury, than on the peccant
individual ; and must also have had the effect of en
couraging traders and usurers to grant increased facili
ties for the obtaining of credit, when they felt they
had such undeniable security to fall back upon. How
ever, the general stringency of the enactments made by
these two chapters had the desired effect of checking
the excesses of the turbulent ; and something approach
ing their former state of discipline and good order was
once more established.
During the remainder of the rule of John de Villiers,
their maritime expeditions continued without intermis
sion, and they gradually curbed the power of the Infidel in
this branch of warfare to so great an extent as to render
the navigation of the LeA'ant comparatively secure to the
commerce of Europe, This was a boon felt and appre-

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 173
ciated by every nation ; more especially by those who,
like the Venetians, owed their position in the scale of
nations entirely to the magnitude of their commerce.
Whilst the Hospitallers had been engaged in the defence
of the Holy Land, their achievements, brilliant as they
Avere, had been of assistance to but comparatively few of
the vast population of Europe; and although much
religious enthusiasm had been aAvakened by the numerous
tales of heroism and knightly daring which were the
constant theme of the troubadour in hall and bower,
still little or no permanent impression was left upon the
hearers' minds. Now, however, when, in addition to the
sacred cause of combating against the Infidel, there was
added the more immediate and personal benefit of pro
tection to their commerce, a cry of gratitude and acclaim
arose on every side.
The difference between the conduct of the Hospitaller
and the Templar was freely discussed, and paved the
way for that complete overthrow of the latter Order
AA'hich was even then hatching in the brain of Philip the
Fair, They had both shared the same fate by their ex
pulsion from Syria, and both had equally earned im
perishable laurels by their gallant defence of Acre, But
from the moment Avhen they had turned their backs
upon that scene of strife how different had been their
conduct. The Hospitaller, availing himself of the nearest
point from Avhich he could still carry on the objects
of his Institution, had established himself almost within
sight of those shores from which he had been driven.
Unable any longer to compete with his foe on the land,
he had not hesitated to encounter him on a new element,
and those Turkish rovers, who had for so many years
been the terror of the eastern shores of the Mediterranean,

174 -A HISTORY OF
were taught to feel that the day had at length arrived
Avhen their supremacy should be ended. Instead of the
slave marts of Egypt being filled Avith the captive Christian
mariners, from amongst whom they had been accustomed
to draw their supply, the tables were completely turned ;
and the Turkish galley-slave, bending to his oar in one
of the numerous vessels of his Christian captors, had
ample opportunities for reflection, and for cursing the
mischance which had brought these new and invincible
foes across his path. The Templar, on the other hand,
after a brief sojourn in Cyprus, instead of rendering the
smallest assistance to his chivalrous and knightly
brethren in their new undertaking, hurried with un
seemly haste to his numerous wealthy European pre
ceptories ; where the grossness of his licentiousness, the
height of his luxury, and the arrogance of his pride, soon
rendered him an object of the most invincible hatred
. amongst those who possessed ample power to accomplish
his overthrow. During these last years of their existence
little can be said in defence of the Order, and although
the barbarous cruelty with which their extinction was
accomplished has raised a feeling of compassion in their
behalf which bids fair to efface the memory of their
crimes, still it cannot be denied that they had of late
years so far deviated from the original purposes of their
Institution as to render them highly unfit depositaries
of that wealth which had been bequeathed to them for
purposes so widely different from those to which they
had appropriated it.
In the year 1294, having greatly raised his Order in
pubhc estimation, John de Villiers breathed his last in
his convent home at Cyprus, and his place was filled by
Odon de Pins, a knight of Provence. This aged brother

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 175
was more celebrated for piety than for military exploits,
and in the governance of a fraternity of monks might
haA'e proved a most edifying chief; but in the turbulent
days amidst which his lot was cast, he was not possessed
of a mind that could control, either the fierce spirits
under his charge, or the aggressive neighbours by whom
he was surrounded. Occupied in the peaceful duties of
his convent and hospital, he utterly neglected those
other obligations of his post, which were far more con
genial to the temperament of his subordinates.
Having lost their all in the abandonment of Acre, his
Knights were still burning to recruit their shattered
finances by a continuation of those maritime forays which
they had so successfully commenced under Villiers,
Whilst the galleys of the Infidel, laden with the wealth of
the East, were still to be found ploughing their way
through the blue waters of the Levant, and requiring but
a few dauntless and daring spirits to claim them for their
own, it is not surprising that the inertness and monastic
seclusion of Odon de Pins rapidly gave rise to murmur-
ings on the part of the more active and restless of his
fraternity. Greater and greater became the dissatisfac
tion as time wore on, and the harbour of Cyprus no
longer bore on its bosom those prizes, which, in the
time of his predecessor, had so often lain there in triumph.
Utterly heedless of the increasing marks of discontent
which showed themselves on all sides, Odon continued
as regular as ever in his attendance on the religious
duties of his profession, and equally negligent of its
military obligations. Unable any longer to submit to
this compulsory inactivity, the fraternity made a gene
ral appeal to the Pope for permission to depose their
chief, enumerating the various causes for dissatisfaction

176 A HISTORY OF
to which they considered his conduct had given rise.
The Pope summoned Odon to appear before him at
Rome, in order that he might decide in his presence as
to the justice of the appeal ; and the Grand-Master, like
an obedient son of the Church, instantly prepared to
obey the mandate, and set forth on his journey. He
was not, however, destined ever to enter the presence
of his ecclesiastical superior, for having been seized
with illness on the road, he gradually sank under his
complaint, and eventually death put an end to his
troubles, as Avell as to the disputes and disagreements of
which he had been the cause.
His successor was William de Villaret, also a Knight
of Provence, who at the time of his election was Grand
Prior of St, Gilles, and at the moment residing in his
priory. His brother Fulke was also a Knight of St.
John, and of great eminence, so much so that he Avas
destined at the death of Wilham to succeed him in the
government ; his sister Jourdain was the Superior of
the convent of Hospitaller ladies in Quercy ; so that the
family may be considered to have attained the highest
possible dignities in the Order to which they were
attached. Villaret used no haste in quitting his priory
upon receiving the intelligence of his elevation ; but,
avaihnghimself of the authority with which that appoint
ment invested him, he made a magisterial inspection of
all the priories in France, directing the most searching
reforms, and eradicating numerous obnoxious abuses.
This done, and having paid his Holiness a flying visit
en route, he proceeded to Cyprus, to assume the sway
Avhich had been delegated into his hands.
One of the earliest and most important acts of his
rule was a descent upon Palestine, undertaken by the

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 177
Hospitallers, in alliance with Gayan, king of Persia,
The accounts of this prince vary considerably ; some
Avriters having asserted that he was a Christian, others
that he was a Mahometan, whilst there are not Avanting
those who state he Avas a Pagan, Be this as it may, he
Avas undoubtedly a bitter enemy to the Saracens, and
had entered willingly into an alliance with the king of
Cyprus, the Hospitallers, and the king of Armenia,
having for its object the expulsion of his antagonists
from Palestine, which he desired to see once more in the
possession of the Christians, Avho, he considered, would
form an admirable barrier on the frontier of his do
minions. The records of this expedition are but few and
scanty ; so much so, that its actual occurrence has been
held highly problematical. Still, there remains suffi
cient testimony to render it a matter of little doubt,
not only that the Christians did actually once more
make good their footing in the Holy Land, but that
they advanced so far as, and took possession of, the
sacred city itself. The policy of the Saracens, however,
had rendered this advance of no permanent avail to
their foes ; they had taken the precaution of destroying
the fortifications of every city within the limits of
Palestine ; the possession of which, therefore, must
eventually have remained Avith that power Avhich could
maintain the largest force in the field. Accordingly we
find that the Hospitallers, having once more gladdened
their eyes with the sight of those holy places, so familiar
to their memory, were obliged to retire from the su
perior force which the Saracens were bringing against
them, their ally Gayan having been suddenly called
away in the midst of the campaign to quell a rebellion
in his own dominions.
VOL, I, N

178 A HISTORY OF
Thus driven from Palestine, and yet eager to taestir
himself in the interests of his Order, the mind of
Villaret gradually became impressed with a desire to
obtain for his convent a new and more permanent home
than that which had been accorded to them in Cyprus,
a home where they should be enabled to consider them
selves as lords, and not be merely tolerated as unAvel-
come guests ; the position which they had for some time
been doomed to occupy. Various subjects of discord
had gradually grown up during their residence at
Cyprus between themselves and the king ; oppressive
taxes and other exactions had been imposed upon them,
and, despite the earnest remonstrances of the Pope,
their payment had been insisted upon ; it was, therefore,
but natural that Villaret should desire to change his
home to some more hospitable locality, and to seek to
obtain for his name a lasting renown, by regaining for
his Institution a position of dignity more in accordance
with that which hitherto they had been accustomed to
occupy. For this purpose he turned his eyes in the direction
of Rhodes, a spot which appeared in every way adapted
to the purpose he had at heart. This island had
originally formed a dependence of the empire of Con
stantinople. At the time when that kingdom fell under
the power of the Latin Crusaders, it became the prey of
the Genoese, in whose possession it remained, until
Vatiens, one of the most talented princes of his age,
succeeded in expelhng the intruders, and restoring it to
the empire from Avhich it had been torn. Gradually,
however, its governors established themselves as inde
pendent princes in the island; and in order to make
good their pretensions against the emperor, they opened

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 179
their ports for the reception of all the Turkish and
Saracen merchants who chose to make it their home ;
and the corsairs Avho ravaged the Mediterranean Avere
always sure of a hearty welcome and a safe shelter
Avithin its harbours. To repel this noxious swarm, and
to destroy their nest, erecting in its place a stronghold
of Christianity which should be a terror to the Infidels,
seemed to Villaret an object worthy of his ambition,
and one whose attainment would secure for him the
deepest gratitude from all the powers of Europe.
Impressed with these views, he determined upon
making a secret but close reconnaissance of the island;
and was preparing for this duty when, in conjunction
Avith the Grand-Master of the Temple, he received a
summons to repair to Rome ; ostensibly for the purpose
of a conference as to the propriety and feasibility of a
new Crusade. This, however, Avas only a subterfuge on
the part of the Pope to conceal the ulterior designs he
had in view, and of Avhich we shall hear more anon.
The Grand-Master of the Templars lost no time in
repairing to Rome in accordance with his instructions ;
but Villaret excused himself from the journey, on the
plea of the urgent business in which he was then
engaged ; indeed, he was at that moment in the act of
starting from Cyprus, burning with anxiety to obtain
the most accurate information which might assist him
in the prosecution of his enterprise.
He coasted cautiously round the island, marking well
its various points of defence, as also those which seemed
to him the most vulnerable, the positions of the har
bours, the sites of the towns, and the number of their
inhabitants. By the time he had concluded his survey,
he discovered that the undertaking was one of no
N 2

180 A HISTORY OP
ordinary magnitude, and that the island possessed the
most formidable means of defence, if its inhabitants
knew how to avail themselves skilfully of their advan
tage. Undeterred by the knowledge of these difficulties,
he returned to Cyprus determined to lose no time in
organising his expedition, and carrying his resolution
into effect. Unfortunately, however, in the midst of
his preparations, a sudden and violent illness put a
period to his existence, and postponed for awhile the
execution of a project he had had so much at heart.
This event occurred in 1308, and the Order, by the
members of which he was much regretted, elected his
brother Fulke in his place ; conceiving, with great
justice, that as the latter had always been in his con
fidence, there could be but little doubt that he was the
best fitted to carry out the grand design of his brother.
His first act on assuming the reins of office was to pro
ceed at once to 'France, in order to procure an audience
with Clement V. and Philip the Fair, from both of whom
he hoped to obtain ample assistance in his project. He
found the two potentates in close and secret conclave at
Poictiers, in company Avith James de Molay, the unfor
tunate Grand-Master of the Temple, who had arrived
there during the preceding year, in profound ignorance
of a cruel plot then framing against himself and his
fraternity. Villaret lost no time in opening his mind to
both Pope and king, pointing out the innumerable ad
vantages which the acquisition of Rhodes by the Knights
of St. John would confer upon the whole of Europe.
Clement V., with an excusable ambition that the period
of his papacy should be marked by an event so important
to Christianity, entered Avarmly into his schemes : not
content Avith contributing a large sum of money from

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 181
his own private resources, he used his utmost influence
to obtain for Villaret such assistance, both in men and
money, as his papal authority could extract from the
various nations who acknoAvledged his supremacy.
In order to prevent the secret of the enterprise from
transpiring, a new Crusade for the recovery of the Holy
Land was preached, backed by the promise of plenary
indulgence to those Avho should either join the expedi
tion or contribute funds for its support. To the Grand-
Master he yielded the right of nomination to the post of
archbishop of Rhodes, in the event of his success requir
ing the creation of such a dignity. Large numbers of
enthusiasts responded eagerly to the papal appeal, and
flocked to Brundusium, which had been appointed
the rendezvous from Avhich they were to embark, Vil
laret found that he had not means of transport for one
third of those Avho proposed to accompany him, great
part of Avhom Avere but a disorderly throng, more
likely to impede than to assist him in his projected
enterprise. Selecting, therefore, only the flower of these
hosts of volunteers, he embarked them on board the
galleys which had been expressly furnished for this
expedition, as the joint contribution of Charles IL, king
of Sicily, and the republic of Genoa,
Villaret was a man of a very haughty and reserved cha
racter, and not one to submit with impunity to the cross-
examination of his inferiors. In his hands lay the chief
command and entire control of the expedition, and the
known peculiarities of his disposition may have aided him
materially in preserving within his OAvn breast the secret
of its destination. Passing Rhodes at some little dis
tance, in order to avoid aAvakening the suspicions of its
inhabitants, he proceeded to Cyprus, where he embarked
s 3

182 A HISTORY OF
such members of his Order as had remained there during
his absence in Europe. He thence proceeded in a north
easterly direction, and having left Syria on his right, he
entered a port in Asia Minor. Every one was now eager
to learn their ultimate destination, but Fulke Avas still
impenetrable in his reserve. To his own Order only did
he unfold his design, with strict injunctions of secresy,
for from them he was sure of a cheerful, nay even an
enthusiastic support. To the remainder of his forces he
still maintained the fiction of a Crusade, with the pros
pect of which it was his intention to blind them until
the proper moment arrived for throwing off his disguise.
His object in thus putting into port Avas to enable him
to send an embassy to Constantinople, to demand from
the emperor the sovereignty of Rhodes, when he should
have achieved its conquest, promising in return an
annual contribution both of men and money to the Greek
empire, in case his request were granted. The emperor,
hoAvever, although his authority over Rhodes was at
that moment purely nominal, the reality having long
since slipped from his grasp, declined to consent to this
proposal. It is likely that he conceived he had a greater
prospect of being enabled to regain possession of the
island, whilst it remained in the hands of Saracen pirates,
than if it once became the stronghold of the Order of St,
John. This refusal having been fully anticipated by
Fulke, had but little Aveight in dissuading him from his
task, on the prompt execution of which he was more than
ever intent. Whilst awaiting the answer from Constan
tinople he had despatched spies into Rhodes, Avith a view
to obtaining most accurate information with respect to
the island. These spies had returned Avith such tempt
ing accounts of its wealth and fertility, of the beauty of

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 183
its towns, the verdure of its fields, and the commodious-
ness of its harbours, that his impatient spirit yearned to
hold within his grasp the possession of so lovely a spot.
Once more embarking his forces, and now at length
revealing to them their destination, he speedily sighted
the much-coveted prize, and without allowing the in
habitants time to recover from the surprise and panic
into which the sudden apparition of his fleet had thrown
them, he made a descent upon the coast, and after a
slender and ineffectual resistance on their part, effected
a landing. By this prompt measure the open country
fell in a great measure into his hands ; still, as the town
of Rhodes remained in the possession of the Saracens,
this occupation availed him but little, and he felt that
the greatest part of his task remained yet to be per
formed, so long as the banner of the crescent continued
to wave over its ramparts. Gallantly, therefore, did he
attempt by a daring storm to carry off this stronghold
of the pirates, but in vain ; the number and valour of the
besieged, added to the strength of the defences by Avhich
they Avere surrounded, more than counterbalanced the
impetuous energy of the crusading invaders, backed
though these latter were by the veterans of the Hos
pital, and led on by the daring Villaret himself.
Many of the Saracens, who had during the first
moments of panic embarked on board their galleys, and
put to sea, finding that all Avas not lost as they had
imagined, returned to port, and aided to swell the
strength of the garrison. The emperor of Constanti
nople also, so soon as he had learnt that the contemplated
descent upon Rhodes had been actually effected, de
spatched at once an auxiliary force to assist in driving
out the invaders, trusting that after their expulsion he
N 4

184 A HISTORY OF
might succeed in regaining possession of the island for
himself. In the face of this augmentation in the num
bers of the foes against whom he had to contend, Villaret
was doomed to witness a rapid decrease in the strength
of his own forces. Many of those gallant spirits who
in a moment of enthusiasm had joined the Crusade, under
the firm conviction that its object was the expulsion of
the Saracen from Palestine, and the restoration of the
Christian kingdom of Jerusalem, found their religious
ardour considerably abating when they discovered that
they Avere called upon to combat, not forthat sacred object
which had been for centuries the incentive to European
valour, but for the private advantage of an Order which,
notwithstanding the numerous benefits it was daily
conferring on Christianity, was by many regarded with
jealousy and suspicion, if not with actual dislike. One
by one the warriors of Europe abandoned the enterprise,
and shrank stealthily away from the scene of a strife which
was daily becoming more and more unpromising. Even
tually, Villaret found himself abandoned by all, except
ing the members of his OAvn fraternity, who having
staked everything on the cast, had, with him, determined
to stand the hazard of the die.
Under these adverse circumstances, all further at
tempts at the capture of the city were for the moment
out of the question, and it was not long ere he found
himself surrounded by his foes and in a state of siege
within the hmits of his own camp. Aroused into a
state of fury by the audacity of this leaguer of Greeks
and Saracens, Villaret assembled all that remained to
him of his invading army, and, after a brief and spirited
harangue, he led them forth to the assault, determined
either to clear the country of the enemy or to sacrifice

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 185
the slender remains of his force in the attempt. The
struggle was long and obstinate, and the loss of the
Hospitallers such as, in their state of numerical weak
ness, they could but ill afford. Desperation at length
inclined the balance in Villaret's favour, and ere that
evening sun had set he had the satisfaction of once
more standing master of the field and Avitnessing the
dispersion to the four winds of heaven of the numerous
battalions Avho had hemmed him in.
The routed Saracens, taking advantage of the ap
proaching darkness of night, flung themselves headlong
into their galleys, and, crossing over to the main land,
spread throughout the province of Lycia the dismaying
intelligence of their utter defeat. Meanwhile Villaret,
having re- assembled the proud relics of his force, re
turned once again to his attempts upon the city ; but,
finding himself far too much enfeebled to achieve its
capture by assault, he determined to convert his attack
into a blockade, and to await the arrival of reinforce
ments from Europe. His steady perseverance and
dauntless energy carried him triumphantly through the
difficulties of this crisis. He succeeded in obtaining a
large sum of money, by way of loan, from the Floren
tine bankers, upon the security of the revenues of his
Order, which he pledged for the purpose, — a security
which, from many concurrent causes, could hardly have
been considered safe, and which must have required
no little financial talent on his part to have rendered
marketable. Provided thus with the sinews of war,
he was not long in calling to his side, and arraying
beneath his banner, a considerable number of those
mercenary troops whose services were at that time
always to be purchased by a good paymaster.

186 A HISTORY OF
Finding his numbers now once more restored to
something of their pristine state, and his foes, cooped
up within the walls of the town, being much dis
heartened by the lengthened blockade to which they
had been subjected, he determined once more to resume
active operations, and, on this occasion, with greater
success than before ; for, on the 5th of August, 1310,
the white cross banner of the Hospital was waving
over the ramparts of Rhodes; and the remnant of
that nest of pirates Avho escaped the exterminating
sword of the invader, had fled in confusion to the
shores of Asia.
No authentic records of this struggle now exist or
appear ever to have come to the aid of the historian
of this epoch ; the only account of its transactions
having been the somewhat apocryphal details which
could be gathered from the study of a set of tapestry
hangings commemorating the events of this siege, which
for many years decorated the residence of the Grand-
Master, in the convent at Rhodes, It has been re
corded by some of the older historians, — although those
of a later date have rejected the fact as an absurd
fable, — that an entry was finally obtained within the
ramparts of the town by the following stratagem. On
a dark and foggy morning (and of a truth the day
must have been very dark and very foggy), some of the
most daring of the Knights of the Hospital arrayed
themselves in the fleecy clothing of those gentle denizens
of the mountain pastures who were wont daily to pass
the gates of the town in search of food. Joining the
flock whilst returning homewards into the city, they
entered along Avith them unperceived, bearing out truly
the simile of Avolves in sheep's clothing. Once within

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 187
the ramparts of the town, they were not long in
announcing to the shepherds their true character, and,
gaining possession of the principal gate, soon admitted
their expectant brethren. Without attaching more im
portance to this fable than its manifold absurdity
Avarrants, we are compelled to admit that all details as
to the actual capture of the city of Rhodes are wanting.
It has been presumed, and probably with some reason,
that a large fire, Avhich nearly destroyed the whole con
vent during the first century of their residence in the
island, may have consumed such documentary evidence
of the transaction as Avas likely to have been retained
amongst the public archives.
The name of Rhodes appears to have been derived
from the number of roses for which the island Avas
famous, it having been previously called by the Greeks
Ophieuse, or the Island of Serpents, OAving to the num
ber of these venomous reptiles with which it was at that
time infested. Possessing a mild and temperate climate,
which, while far removed from the scorching heat of the
tropics, was at the same time totally free from the
chilling blasts of more northern latitudes ; with a soil
the fertility of which was such as to render the whole
island a garden, broken into alternate masses of hill and
dale, whose rich and varied undulations were clothed
with the most brilliant verdure, it was indeed a spot
likely to attract the attention and excite the desires of
a body of men who, like the Hospitallers, Avere in search
of a permanent home. During the earlier ages of the
Greek monarchy, Rhodes had been celebrated for the
civilisation and manufacturing skill of her children ; it
was computed that at one time no less ' than 2000
statues adorned the island, Avhilst as workers in metals

188 A HISTORY OF
the Rhodians never were surpassed. Its hardy popula
tion furnished a constant supply of mariners, who in
the pursuit of commerce were to be met with at every
point within the coasts of the Mediterranean, and whose
skill and energy raised the general character of their
island to a very elevated point amidst the European
commouAvealths. When, however, in later years, the
island fell under the domination of the effete empire of
Constantinople, it gradually became inoculated with the
same vices, and the same decay, that were slowly but
steadily achieving the overthrow of the mother country.
At the time that the Knights erected their banner upon
its walls, the inhabitants had lost all that energy and
strength of character which had of old distinguished
them, and had bowed in abject submission to the yoke
of the Saracenic pirates whom they had received Avithin
their ports.
Villaret's first act, after having secured possession of
the toAvn of Rhodes, was to embark on board his fleet with
a large portion of the force that remained under his com
mand, and paying a visit to the various small islands by
which he was surrounded, he speedily enforced their
submission to his authority. In this manner he succes
sively touched at tha islands of Nisyrus, Leros, Calamos,
Episcopia or Telos, Calchos, Symia, and Cos ; in none
of Avhich did he find any difficulty in asserting his
rights of domination. In the latter island he determined
to establish a small subsidiary fortress, perceiving its
importance as a point of support to the principal island.
Having completed these precautionary measures for the
protection of his newly-achieved conquests, Villaret re
turned to Rhodes, for the purpose of taking steps to
estabhsh his convent in perpetuity in the island. From

THE KNIGHTS OF M^VLTA, 189
the time of the first landing of the Hospitallers, until
their final settlement in undisputed sovereignty over
that and the adjacent islands, a period of nearly four
years had elapsed, the whole of which was passed in a
constant succession of struggles before the last of their
piratical opponents had been driven to the mainland.
But while these events were occupying the energies
and engrossing the attention of the members of the
Hospital, changes of the most vital importance had
occurred in Europe, which materially affected their
future fortunes, and to which it will be necessary now
to refer.
AJter the death of Pope Benedict XL, the conclave
of Cardinals, assembled to elect his successor, found
themselves divided into two factions, which might be
distinguished as French and Italian. Fortunately for
the interests of Philip the Fair, the leader of the French
party was Cardinal Dupr^, a consummate politician,
and well versed in the intrigues of a court. Perceiving
that his party was not sufficiently numerous to carry
the election of a French nominee, and trusting that he
might meet the views of his monarch in a different
manner, he, on behalf of his French colleagues, inti
mated to the adverse faction that he Avould allow them
the nomination of three candidates for the post, provided
they would consent to the election of whichever of the
three he might select. The Italians, perceiving that by
nominating three of their own side as candidates they
could ensure the election, acceded at once to the pro
posal, and submitted the names of three rampant Ultra-
montanists for Dupre's choice. Amongst these was
Bertrand de Got, the archbishop of Bordeaux, a man of
unprincipled character, loose morality, and overweening

190 A HISTORY OF
ambition. Dupr^ conceived that in this prelate king
Philip might, if he acted judiciously, find a willing tool,
although he Avas at that moment his open and avowed
enemy. He therefore at once secretly despatched a
messenger to Philip, informing him of the decision at
Avhich the cardinals had arrived, and that the nomination
of the archbishop of Bordeaux lay Avithin the power of
the French party. Upon the receipt of this intelligence,
Philip immediately wrote to Bertrand begging him to
repair at once with the utmost privacy to an appointed
rendezvous, where the king Avas anxious to submit for
his acceptance certain offers of great adA^antage to
himself. The result of this clandestine interview was,
that Philip consented to procure his nomination to the
Papal See ; whilst on his side, Bertrand pledged himself
to carry out the king's vicAVS in all matters relating
to Church government in France. It has been very
generally recorded that, in addition to these promises,
the expectant Pope Avas required to pledge himself to
exercise the Avhole authority of his position in order to
carry out the speedy and complete destruction of the
Order of the Temple. Between this fraternity and
Philip a bitter and undying hatred had been engendered,
much fostered bj' the numerous acts of arrogance and
insubordination to his authority, of which its members
had been so frequently guilty.
In order to carry out these projects, Bertrand had
been no sooner elected to the chair of St. Peter, under
the title of Clement V., than he prepared to take the
first steps towards their annihilation, by securing the
person of the Grand- Master, James de Molay. For this
purpose he wrote, as we have already seen, to the
chiefs of both Orders, requiring their immediate pre-

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 191
sence at Lyons, where his court was at that time
established, for the ostensible purpose of deliberating
with him as to the propriety of organising a new Cru
sade for the recovery of the Holy Land. John de
Villiers declined obeying this mandate, not from any
suspicion of treachery or danger, but simply because
he was at the moment busily engaged in preparing for a
descent on Rhodes. James de Molay, however, who
Avas the only victim Clement cared to entrap, most
unfortunately for himself and his Order, lost no time
in repairing to France, where he arrived in the early
part of 1307, bearing with him a large accumulation
of treasure, the property of the fraternity, which, for
greater security, he lodged in the Temple at Paris.
He was at first treated Avith every consideration by
both king and Pontiff: various discussions took place
between Clement and himself, both as to the advisa
bility of a Crusade, and also as to a projected union of
the two Orders ; indeed, Clement was so urgent on
this latter point, that it may be doubted whether he
did not trust, by some such amalgamation in which
the Templars might lose all individuality and become
merged into the Order of the Hospital, to avoid pro
ceeding to those extremities against them which the
ruthless Philip contemplated, and to the execution
of which, by his promises to that monarch, he stood
pledged. Be this as it may, Molay steadfastly rejected
the proposal, and in a lengthy document, which history
has preserved, he adduced numerous arguments in sup
port of his opposition to the measure. From this
moment his fate Avas sealed ; if the Pope had intended
his proposal as a compromise whereby the lives and
property of the Order might be preserved, the antago-

192 A HISTORY OF
nism of Molay had caused its failure, and from that
moment he determined to let matters take their
course. The pear was now ripe, the moment had arrived for
Avhich Philip had so deeply and so constantly plotted,
and the fatal blow was to be no longer delayed. Secret
orders Avere simultaneously issued to the judicial autho
rities throughout all the provinces of France, directing
them to take a speedy and complete survey of all
the Temple preceptories within their districts ; making
themselves thoroughly acquainted with the number and
persons of such Knights as were there resident ; and
on the 13th of October they were to be all surprised
and made prisoners. An inquiry under the Inquisition
Avas to be at the same time instituted, the application of
torture being authorised, in order to furnish such con
fessions from the lips of the unfortunate captives as
might justify the proceedings taken against them.
These instructions were faithfully carried into effect,
and on the appointed day, every Templar at that time
within the limits of the French dominions was seized,
and either cast into a dungeon, or placed in close
confinement within his OAvn preceptory. The witnesses,
by whom the accusations brought against the Order
Avere sustained, consisted of tAvo reprobates, both under
sentence of perpetual imprisonment : the one, Nosso
de Florentin, an apostate Templar; and the other.
Squire de Florian, a citizen of Bezieres. Both of these
Avorthies having been confined in the same dungeon,
found ample time, in their enforced hours of idleness,
to concoct a string of charges, such as required the full
amount of credulity prevalent in those days to beheve,
and by Avhich they trusted to purchase their own

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. l93
liberation from the punishment which their criines had
justly brought down upon them.
These charges, which were afterwards framed into a
regular act of inquisition, embraced no less than seventy-
seven different items: the first thirteen of which im
puted to the fraternity a total disbelief in God, our
Saviour, the crucifixion, the blessed Virgin, and the
other Saints ; and that they performed divers acts of
sacrilege, such as trampling and spitting upon the cross
and the image of our Saviour. The next two articles
accused them of Avorshipping a cat as a mark of con
tempt of the Christian religion. The next eight articles
included a repudiation of the Sacraments of the Church.
The following six implied a belief in the power of
the superiors of the Order to grant absolution. Then
followed six more items, accusing the fraternity of a
number of acts during their reception of a novice Avhich
cannot be further alluded to. Three more made it
a crime that the reception was performed in secrecy.
Crimes and abominations, too disgusting to be named,
formed the subject of the next seven, after which came
twenty-one more accusing them of the worship of idols,
and the remaining articles related to matters of heretical
depravity. The idol alluded to as an object of Avorship
was described as having " two carbuncles for eyes,
bright as the brightness of heaven," and as covered
with an old skin embalmed, having the appearance of
a piece of polished oil-cloth. In their rites and cere
monies to this attractive object of worship, they were
supposed to cook and roast infants, and to lubricate
their idol with the fat ; it Avas also said that they
burnt the bodies of their deceased brethren, and made
the ashes into a poAvder,. Avhich they administered to
VOL. I, o

191 A HISTOEY OF
the novices of the fraternity to confirm them in their
idolatry, together with other abominations too absurd
and horrible to be recapitulated.
On the 19th October 1307, the Grand Inquisitor
commenced his examination of the Knights confined
within the Temple at Paris, Avhose number amounted to
140, These unfortunate wretches were, one after the
other, subjected to the most fearful tortures, under the
skilful hands of the Dominicans, at that time justly es
teemed the most expert torturers of the age. Whilst
these revolting barbarities Avere being perpetrated in
France, Philip had written to Edward II. , Avho had
just ascended the throne of England, enumerating the
various accusations then being brought against the
Order ; and urging upon that monarch the necessity of
his following the same line of conduct. To this letter
EdAvard sent an answer, the tone of which implied a
strong disbelief in the imputations sought to be cast
upon the Templars, and refusing to take active measures
in the matter without a rigid preliminary inquiry.
It may be assumed that the result of this investigation
was favourable to the accused, since on the 4th of De
cember in the same year, Ave find Edward writing to the
kings of Portugal, Castile, Aragon, and Sicily, request
ing them to pay no attention to the accusations then
being brought against the fraternity. He at the same
time wrote to the Pope, to state his conviction that these
rumours of foul and discreditable practices Avere utterly
void of foundation. Unfortunately, hoAvever, for the
Templars, the Pope had just addressed a bull to
EdAvard, dated the 22nd November 1307, which must
have reached him within a few days after he had
despatched his own missive. In this document his

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 195
Eminence reiterates all the accusations that had been
previously brought forward, and which he says are
confirmed by the confessions extorted from the Knights
Avho are prisoners in France. He therefore directs
Edward, in that tone of arrogant superiority with
which the pontiffs in those days were Avont to address
the monarchs of Europe, to cause all the Templars
Avithin his dominions to be taken into immediate cus
tody, and their property to be committed into the hands
of trustees, that they might be held in safety until he
should send further instructions on the subject.
Whether this bull had really the effect of convincing
Edward of the justice of the accusations, or whether he
felt himself unable to cope with his ecclesiastical su
perior ; or again, Avhether he foresaw in the impending
dissolution of the Order a prospect of securing for
himself, or for some of his unworthy favourites, a
goodly slice out of that fair patrimony which the
Templars had so long enjoyed within his dominions,
and whose broad acres seemed now likely to fall a prey to
the strongest arm ; whichever of these reasons influenced
the decision of the king, it is very certain that, in obedience
to the orders of the Pope, all the Templars in England,
save such as Avere sufficiently fortunate as to elude the
grasp of the myrmidons of the law, were seized within
their preceptories, on the 8th January 1308, to the
number of 229, It will not be necessary to enter into
any details of the proceedings that were carried on in
both countries, the accusations being in most cases
practically the same, and the results obtained not very
dissimilar. Whilst, however, the examinations of the
prisoners in England were carried on with compara
tively but little cruelty, those undergone by the un-
o 2

196 A HISTORY OF
fortunate victims of Philip's malevolence were coupled
Avith every species of torture which the diabolic in
genuity of the priesthood could devise, A large
number perished under the hands of the examiners ;
and many more sought a temporary relief from their
agonies by acknowledging the justice of the accusations
made against them.
There yet remained, however, a noble band, whose
powers of endurance had enabled them to survive those
tortures, under which their weaker brethren had suc
cumbed, and the constancy of whose courage had been
such as to have supported them even in that moment of
fearful trial, and to have enabled them, manfully and
firmly, to assert their innocence, even to the last. Of these
noble specimens of the Christian soldier, fifty-four were
burnt alive in Paris in one day, and they testified in the
hour of death to the fair fame of their Order, and the
fearful injustice of the persecution to which they had
been subjected.
It was at length determined, between the king and
Pope, that matters should be brought to an immediate
termination ; and a solemn council AVas convoked in the
winter of 1311, to decide upon the ultimate fate of the
fraternity. The members of this council, ecclesiastics
though they were, and antagonistic though they had
often proved themselves to the Templars, shrank from
the task of annihilating an Order Avhich, for so many
years, had by its noble deeds of daring in the Christian
cause, gained for itself the applause of every gallant
spirit in Europe. Neither Phihp nor Clement Avere to
be turned from their fell purpose by the reluctance of a
council of ecclesiastics ; and the latter, in virtue of that
plenary authority to which his position entitled him.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 197
decreed on his own responsibility, and without even
the form of sanction from the council, the utter and
immediate suppression of the institution. After much
discussion, and a variety of counter propositions, it was
decided that all the estates of the Templars throughout
Europe were to be adjudged to the Knights of Rhodes,
under whose charge their revenues were to be placed,
consecrated to the defence of the Holy Land, and of
the pilgrims who annually sought its shores.
The concluding act of this bloody drama remained
yet to be performed ; the Grand- Master and the three
grand-priors of Normandy, France, and Aquitaine, still
remained languishing within the dungeons of their per
secutor. The extremity of the torture to Avhich they
had been subjected had elicited from each of these
dignitaries a partial confession on some of the absurd
accusations brought against them ; and it was felt neces
sary, in order to justify the atrocious cruelties and the
scandalous spoliation of which the fraternity had been
the victim, that this act of confession should be reiterated
with the utmost publicity by these unfortunate Knights,
For this purpose a scaffold Avas erected in front of the
cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, and on the 18th of
March 1313, the citizens were called together to hear the
confessions of these four principal officers of the Order
read aloud, and confirmed by themseh'es. As soon as
the prisoners had taken their places on the scaffold, the
bishop of Alba, after a violent harangue, in which he
recapitulated the principal accusations that had been
brought against the Templars, gave forth to the public
the contents of a document, purporting to be an admis
sion, on the part of the Grand-Master and his three com
panions, of their guilt. Upon being required to confirm
o 3

198 A HISTORY OF
these confessions, the priors of France and Aquitaine
admitted the truth of the statements, and this act of
cowardice on their part purchased an ignominious
prolongation to their existence ; but James de Molay,
advancing to the edge of the scaffold, in a loud tone of
voice utterly repudiated his previous admissions. He
announced to the assembled multitude, that not only had
they been originally extorted from him in a weak
moment, under the agony of torture, but, that they had
also been distorted and interpolated in the most scanda
lous and barefaced manner, by the inquisitors before whom
the examinations had been conducted, and Avho,he stated,
deserved the death to Avhich Saracens condemn those
who have been convicted of lying and forgery. The
prior of Normandy commenced to make a similar recan
tation, but the assembled authorities hurriedly brought
his address to a close, and the two recusants were at
once taken back to prison. The indignation of Philip, at
this unexpected result to a proceeding by which he had
contemplated a complete justification of the severity of
his previous persecutions, Avas unbounded, and he deter
mined to Avreak an immediate and fearful vengeance on
the authors of his disappointment. Without the loss of
an hour, the fiat for their prompt execution Avas issued,
and that same evening James de Molay and his fellow
victim, Guy the prior of Normandy, Avere both burnt
before a slow fire, on a small island in the river Seine,
on the spot where the equestrian statue of Henry IV.
now stands.
The promulgation of the papal mandate, announcing
the extinction of the Order of the Temple, had been
followed by a bull Avhich, in accordance Avith the decision
of the council before-mentioned, decreed that their pro-

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 199
perty should be transferred to the Knights of Rhodes ;
but, for a considerable period this mandate remained
utterly unfulfilled; and even eventually, only a small
portion of their revenues returned to the coffers of the
Hospitallers, In Castile, Aragon, and Portugal, the
respective monarchs erected new military Orders, with
themselves as Grand-Masters, under the title of perpetual
administrators, for the ostensible purpose of repelling
the inroads of the Moors ; by which means they retained
all the property of the quondam fraternity within their
OAvn hands. In France, Philip laid a claim to the sum of
200,000/, as a reimbursement of the expenses which the
prosecution of the Templars had cost him, and his son
extorted a further sum of 60,000Z, before he could be
brought to transfer the much-coveted lands into the
possession of the Hospitallers. In England, the over
throw of the Order was followed by a general scramble
for the good things thus left without an owner. Some
Edward seized for himself, others he transferred to
favourites about his court, whilst many more Avere
claimed by the heirs of the original donors. The Pope,
indignant at this secular appropriation of ecclesiastical
property, wrote most urgently and menacingly upon the
subject; and ultimately the pious dread of the papal
fulminations extorted an act of parliament, in the year
1324, by which the Hospitallers were put into legal
possession of their rights. They found, however, to
their cost, that in .those troublous times, there was a
vast difference between legal right and actual possession,
and the struggle between themselves and the many
vultures Avho had settled upon their prey^ was continued
for a lengthened period, and rendered the addition to
o 4

200 A HISTORY OF
their property in England a matter far more nominal
than real.
Such Avas the end of the Order of the Temple, an
institution coeval with that of the Hospital, and which had
stood side by side with it on many a well-fought field,
and during many a protracted struggle ; now, however,
whilst the one Order had by its recent conquest of
Rhodes raised itself to a yet higher pinnacle of fame
than it had before attained, the sun of its rival's
glory had set in gloom, and was for ever quenched in
blood. The accusations by Avhich its overthroAv had been
achieved, Avere in themselves so preposterous and even
ludicrous, that they were evidently but a cloak behind
which to conceal the actual motives which influenced
their persecutors. To the reader of the present day it
seems extraordinary that such childish and ridiculous
fabrications should have entered the imaginations of
men like Philip and his coadjutors, Avho were distin
guished for the vigour of their judgment, and the wisdom
of their policy, unscrupulous though it often was. The
result, hoAvever, proved that they did not underrate the
intelligence of the age ; and that they had suited their
fables to the capacity of those for whose benefit they had
been concocted. No statement Avas too gross, no impu
tation too transparent, for the vulgar prejudices of the
fourteenth century ; so that under the cover of popular
ignorance, and beneath the mask of pious enthusiasm,
a bitter vengeance was wreaked for many a bygone in
jury, and many a forgotten insult; forgotten, that is, by
the haughty Templar, in all the pride of his wealth and
position, but not by those Avho Avere biding their time,
and by Avhom it Avas carefully nursed in silence, and in

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 201
secret, until that fatal hour should arrive, when a prompt
and ample revenge might be secured in his blood.
Still, although it cannot for one instant be denied
that the pretences, under cover of which the annihila
tion of the fraternity was achieved, were utterly false
and without foundation, it does not follow that there
fore they are to be acquitted of all evil, and to be sur
rounded by that halo of martyrdom which it has been
the object of so many panegyrists to spread over their
later days. The ordinary reasons attributed to Philip,
Clement, and the other authors of their overthrow, Avill
not suffice entirely to account for their catastrophe,
though doubtless they may have had much Aveight in
the matter. If it were avarice alone that prompted the
act, hoAV came it that Clement, who was the principal
agent in the transaction, instead of appropriating their
revenues to himself, or even to the ecclesiastics under
his own immediate control, exerted his authority to the
utmost to transfer that property to the rival fraternity
of the Hospital ? Again, how came it that that Order
was not called upon to share the same fate ? Had the
amount of their worldly possessions been the only
object by which the decision of their judges Avas in
fluenced, the Hospitallers would have been the first to
fall. They were more numerous, and endowed with
ampler revenues, if not in England, most certainly in
France, where the persecution was first hatched ; they
would, therefore, have afforded a far richer booty to the
spoiler than could have been extorted from the Templars.
Had this motive of avarice been the only incentive
which prompted Philip in that ferocious onslaught,
Avhich he had originally devised, and which he Avas the
chief agent in carrying into execution, his was not the

202 A HISTORY OF
character to have tamely submitted to be defrauded of
his gains, at the very moment when they had fallen
within his grasp, through an abject fear of those eccle
siastical fulminations which were the only weapons
Clement could have wielded against him. That pontiff
was a creature of his own, elected by the favour of his
nomination, and pledged to support hira in all his under
takings. What then had he to fear, even though he
had retained within his own hands every acre of land
which throughout the breadth of his fair kingdom had
once been lorded over by the Red Cross Knights ?
We must needs look deeper than this for the motives
which prompted the annihilation of one Order whilst it
aggrandised the other on its ruins. At this distance of
time, and in the absence of any conclusive evidence
upon the subject, it would be very difficult to assert
positively what these motives may have been. That
the Templars had, of later years, achieved for them
selves a reputation far from enviable, is an indisputable
fact ; that general dissoluteness, riot, and debauchery of
every kind, had for a lengthened period been rampant
within their preceptories, must be admitted by every
impartial student of history. To drink like a Templar
had become a bye-word throughout Europe ; nor were
their vices confined to intemperance only ; they had
indeed become cankered and corrupted through the
vitiating influence of inactivity and idleness ; the objects
for Avhich they had been instituted, and which had held
them together during tAvo centuries, had been abandoned
finally and for ever. The Templar in his saddle, cross
ing the sandy plains of Palestine, was an institution of
the country ; and, as such, it grew and flourished, and
the European preceptories became only so many off-

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 203
shoots and nurseries, from Avhence the parent stem Avas
nourished; but now that the stately tree had been
felled, that Syria had been abandoned, and that nought
was left but the clinging roots, Avhich spread their
ramifications within the soil of every country in
Europe, devoid of strength sufficient to enable them to
spring up afresh, and yet draAving from the im
poverished land, in the midst of which they had been
planted, that sustenance Avhich could but ill be spared,
it was felt that their day was passed, and neither Philip
nor Clement hesitated to root them out, and destroy
them for ever.
Even at the present day there are not wanting those
who, Avithout absolutely going the lengths of the accusa
tions enumerated above, still consider that there existed
among the fraternity an unholy compact, which bound
them together Avithin its secret spell ; there Avas in their
mode of reception, and in many other formula of the
Order, so much that was hidden from the vulgar gaze,
and such strict secrecy was practised, that it is not
impossible this suggestion may have had much truth in
it ; at all events, it is a curious fact that the Hospitallers,
against whom no similar accusations were levelled,
abjured all secrecy in their forms and ceremonies ; nor
is it easy to imagine the object of such a rigid silence,
if there were nothing behind which required conceal
ment. The greatest of our modern novelists has, in
his romance of " Ivanhoe," placed in the mouth of Brian
de Bois Guilbert, a Knight of the Temple, during his
interview with Rebecca, a confession that within the
secret conclave of his Order the difference of creed Avas
held in derision as a nursery tale, and that their Avealth
Avas dedicated to ends of which their pious founders

204 A HISTORY OF
little dreamed, and which Avere concealed from all such
as embraced their Order on its ancient principles. Sir
Walter Scott, who was undoubtedly the most faithful
portrayer of character of his age, would never have
ventured upon such a trait as this, had he not been well
assured of its probability. All concurrent testimony of
collateral circumstances point that way, and account for
the apparent anomaly, which left the one Order intact
whilst it destroyed the other.
Still, whatever may have been their crimes, it is im
possible for the historian to touch upon this last sad
scene in their eventful career without some expression
of pity for their cruel fate. However they may have
degenerated of late years, they had for two centuries
nobly borne their part in the struggles of the East, and
had earned for themselves a name within the page of
history of such high renown, that it should haye saved
them from so fearful an end. Within these pages their
name will not again appear ; from this date their
brethren of the Hospital will be left to struggle on
alone, and the ill-disciplined gallantry and the im
petuous valour of the Templar, noAv that he is no more,
must be pleaded in palliation of those crimes which so
unfortunately blotted his fair fame.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 205

CHAP. VIII,
VILLARET ESTABLISHES HIS ORDER AT RHODES. — HIS ARROGANCE. —
PLOTS AGAINST HIM. — HIS FLIGHT TO LINDOS.  APPEALS TO THE
POPE  HIS RESIGNATION.  APPOINTMENT OP ELTON DE VILLA-
NOVA  DIAnSION OF THE ORDER INTO LANGUAGES  DEODATO DE
GOZON AND THE DRAGON OP RHODES  WAR AGAINST THE TURKS.
 CAPTURE OP SMYRNA.  ELECTION OP DEODATO DE GOZON 
niS RESIGNATION.  INTRIGUES OF HEREDIA, THE CASTELLAN OP
EMPOSTA.  EXPEDITION TO ALEXANDRIA AND CAPTURE OP THE
TOWN.  ELECTION OP HEREDIA AS GRAND-MASTER.  HIS PREVIOUS
HISTORY.  HE ESCORTS THE POPE TO ROME.  HE JOINS THE EX
PEDITION TO PATRAS. — CAPTURE OF THE CITY. — HEREDIA PALLS
INTO THE HANDS OP THE TURKS  HIS RANSOM  SCHISM IN THE
CHURCH. — HEREDIA RETURNS TO AVIGNON. — HIS DEATH.
Villaret having by his recent successes found himself
in undisputed possession of the Island of Rhodes, lost no
time in commencing to secure his position, by restoring
the shattered ramparts of the town. At the same time he
made such arrangements, in connexion with the islands
surrounding his stronghold, as their close proximity
seemed to render advisable.
The principal of these was Cos, afterwards called
Lango, and at present known by the name of Stanchio,
This island was considered to be of so much greater im
portance than its neighbours that Villaret determined
to render it secure from a coup de main by the erec
tion of a castle, Avhich Avas garrisoned by a body of
Knights. After the division of the Order into languages.

;^06 A history of
its administration was exclusively confided to the
Knights of Provence, under whose charge it remained
until at the general chapter held in 1356, at Avignon, this
monopoly was abolished, and the governance was again
thrown open to the whole Order. Its possessors for the
time being Avere held bound for the supply of a galley
of twenty-six oars, fully manned and equipped, as their
contribution towards the general fleet of the Order. Of
the other islands, Calamos and Leros were celebrated
for their marble quarries, and being otherwise very
sterile, their inhabitants subsisted entirely by commerce,
Symia was esteemed valuable to the interests of its new
lords, oAving to the excellence of the wine which it pro
duced. It also carried on an extensive trade in sponges,
Avhich Avere raised from the bottom of the sea by divers.
So much was this calling recognised as peculiar to the
island, that it is recorded as one of its municipal laws,
that no youth was eligible for matrimony until he was
able to penetrate a certain depth beneath the water, and
to remain there for a specified length of time. Its ship
carpenters had also achieved a wide reputation ; their
light craft Avere known throughout the Mediterranean
for superior excellence, both in rowing and sailing. On
the summit of the most considerable height within this
island the Grand-Master erected a post of observation,
from Avhence the intelligence of any approaching danger
might be conveyed to Rhodes, either by means of sig
nal fires, or by one of its swift boats. The smallest of
the islands was assigned as the private domain of the
Grand- Master ; and, although there is some doubt in the
matter, still the general opinion appears to be that it
Avas the Island of Patmos, celebrated as the spot where
St, John devoted the last years of his life to the writing

the knights of MALTA, 207
of the Apocalypse, Within a fcAV miles of Cos, Avas
another island, named Nisyrus, in which was a hot spring
of medicinal A\'ater, and an excellent harbour. It
abounded in delicious fruit of every description, and
its advantages as a residence were so apparent, that it
was not long in growing into a place of importance, A
considerable town rapidly sprang up, ornamented with
columns and statues formed of the porphyry with which
it abounded ; and eventually it rose to be a bishop's see,
subordinate to the archbishop of Rhodes.
Having taken such steps for the security of his
government as a personal inspection of these islands
proved to be necessary, Villaret returned to Rhodes,
trusting to enjoy a period of repose after the lengthened
struggle in which he had for several years been engaged.
His hopes were not,hoAvever, as yet destined to be realised^
the Saracens whom he had expehed from Rhodes had
fled to the court of Osman, or Othman, a Turkish
prince, at that time the ruler of Bithynia, in Cappadocia,
together with much of the adjacent territory. This
prince beheld Avith extreme jealousy the establishment
of so redoubtable a foe as the Hospitallers had alwaj's
proved themselves to be, to his nation and religion,.
Avithin such close proximity to his own dominions. It
was not difficult, therefore, for the Rhodian fugitives.
to persuade him to attempt the expulsion of the White
Cross Knights from their new home.
Collecting a considerable force, he made a descent on
the island before Villaret had had time to raise the
fortifications of his stronghold to anything like a point
of security. The determined valour of his Knights,
however, was amply sufficient to supply all deficiencies
in the strength of his ramparts ; and, after several UU'

208 A history of
successful assaults, Othman found himself compelled to
abandon his attack, and to retire crestfallen to his galleys.
Amadeus V., Count of Savoy, rendered loyal assistance
to the besieged Hospitallers during this attack, Avhich
took place in the year 1315, in commemoration of which
assistance, his descendants have since that time ahvays
borne on their shield the Avhite cross with the Avord
" Fert," as a device, that Avord being composed of the
initial letters of the sentence, " Fortitudo ejus Rhodum
tenuit." The failure of Othman's enterprise left Villaret a
period of leisure in Avhich to complete the establishment
of his government. Under his able superintendence,
and expedited by his energetic promptitude, the ram
parts of Rhodes Avere rapidly restored to a state of
perfect security. The Saracen inhabitants of the town
having all either fled of their own accord, or been ex
pelled by the new comers, Villaret felt it necessary to
restore his population by attracting to his capital a
sufficient number of Christian inhabitants to fill the
place of their piratical predecessors. Trade was en
couraged in every possible way ; merchants from every
nation in Europe were tempted, by the freedom from
restrictions Avhich the commerce of Rhodes enjoyed
under this politic chief, to make it their permanent
residence. Within a very few years its harbours were
filled Avith rich argosies, laden with all the most pre-^
cious commodities of European traffic, from Avhence
they bore back on their return voyage the no less
valuable merchandise of the East. To protect this
vast and annually increasing trade, the galleys of the
Order, now groAvn into a regular fleet, traversed the
Levant in all directions, at one time conveying the

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 209
homeward-bound merchantmen to their destination,
and at another falling upon the Infidel corsair where-
ever he dared to show his flag ; but rarely, indeed,
returning to port without some substantial tokens
wherewith to remunerate themselves for the hardships
and perils of their voyage.
The Avealth of the community was now increasing
with amazing rapidity ; the lately acquired revenues of
the Temple, although as yet they had actually produced
little or nothing to their new possessors, still appeared
likely so to augment their funds as to warrant a con
siderable increase in the public expenditure of the
fraternity. This rapid acquisition of wealth soon pro
duced its customary fruits ; luxury in every form
gradually usurped the place of that simplicity which
had been the original object of the early Hospitallers,
and which so many of their succeeding chiefs had
endeavoured to retain. The renown Avhich the capture
of Rhodes had reflected upon the Order had attracted
into its ranks a vast number of the younger members
of the noblest houses in Europe, youths whose minds
were filled with all the martial ardour incident to their
age and station, but in whose hearts there was kindled
but little of that religious enthusiasm, which two
centuries before had recruited the ranks of the institu
tion with a body of men as austere in their private life
as they were chivalric in their warlike zeal. The age
had indeed changed, and with it the thoughts and feel
ings of the vast majority of mankind. The sentiment
of piety, which, though rude in its mode of expression,
had still formed the main incentive to the deeds of
daring hitherto recorded, was noAv giving way to the
more material and worldly aspiration of glory. It was
VOL, I, P

210 A HISTORY OF
thought by these young candidates for knightly fame
that, provided the Hospitaller was ever ready to meet
his foe, either upon the deck of his galley or behind
the ramparts of his stronghold, — provided he was at all
times ready to shed the last drop of his blood in the
defence of his Order and of his faith, — it would matter
but little what his private conduct might be, and,
whilst he could point to the deeds of daring which
had rendered his name famous among his brethren, he
deemed it quite unnecessary to practise those austerities
which the rules of his Order had enjoined for his
guidance. Many, indeed, of the older Knights beheld with dis
may and anguish this rapid and complete demoralisation
which was undermining the first principles of their insti
tution, and were loud and urgent in their remonstrances
to the youthful offenders, endeavouring to restrain
some of the most notorious of those excesses which
they feared would bring them into disrepute. They
pointed to the fearful tragedy which had so recently
been enacted against their brothers in arms, showing
how the same Aveapons that had been employed in
the destruction of the one Order, might at any moment
be made available for that of the other, should they by
their conduct draw down upon themselves the odium of
the poAvers that be. The revenues of the Templars
were, as they justly remarked, more apparent than
real, whilst, on the other hand, the public treasury was
encumbered with the enormous liabilities arising from
the sums of money borrowed by Villaret of the various
bankers of Genoa and Florence, to enable him to achieve
the conquest of Rhodes.
What, however, rendered all their exhortations futile,

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 211
was the fact that their Grand-Master himself, the man
to whom everyone naturally looked for an example and
a support, was in his own person outvying his youthful
disciples in the extravagance of his luxury, and the
dissipation of his life. Surrounded by favourites, on
whom he bestowed all the patronage of his office, he
gradually assumed an overbearing arrogance of manner
towards all who were not disposed to render him an
absolute homage. He appeared to consider that the
acquisition of Rhodes, through the power of his genius
and the dauntless perseverance of his Avill, had invested
him with a sovereignty in the island, far more absolute
than that appertaining to his magisterial position. That
supremacy, which others considered as vested in the
Order, and of which he Avas merely the chief administra
tor, was by him considered as a personal matter, peculiar
to himself alone. The murmurs which the arrogance of
his conduct gradually engendered, were at first low and
suppressed. Men Avere loth to think hardly of the hero
under whose guidance the Order had added so much to
its renown. They were prepared to tolerate much in
him which they would never have borne in another ; but
patience and forbearance have their limits, and Villaret
gradually found that the brilliancy even of his reputation
became eventually insufficient to stifle the murmurs
excited by his haughty bearing.
This secret disaffection became at length converted
into open complaint, and rose to such a pitch, that
Villaret Avas summoned before the council to give an
account of his government, and to answer the numerous
charges which had been preferred against hira. These
consisted, not merely of allegations relating to his in
tolerable pride and hauteur towards those vvith Avhom
p 2

212 A HISTORY OF
he was brought in contact; but, at the same time, of
mal-appropriation of the public revenues. He was ac
cused of having squandered these, partly to support his
OAvn magnificence, ostentatious display, and luxurious
mode of living ; and partly by bestoAving them, with a
lavish hand, on the sycophantic croAvd of faA'-ourites Avith
which he was surrounded. To this summons Villaret
paid not the slightest heed, asserting that his position
placed him completely above the jurisdiction of the
council ; and as it would have been impossible to adju
dicate upon his alleged delinquencies in his absence, the
malcontents Avere sorely puzzled to decide as to what
should be their next step. At length an aged Knight,
named Maurice de Pagnac, probably not without an
eye to future contingencies, proposed that Villaret
should be boldly seized AA'ithin the precincts of his
palace, and brought, vi et armis, before the council.
The execution of such a measure would, it was felt,
involve no slight hardihood, owing to the extreme diffi
culty of approaching the person of the Grand-Master,
as he was invariably surrounded, not only by his OAvn
favourites among the fraternity, but also by a compact
body-guard of mercenaries, Avhom he retained in his
pay. The attempt was therefore deemed impossible by
day, as the certain result of such a step must have been
a sanguinary, and probably a fruitless, contest ; but it
was thought more feasible to effect his seizure secretly
by night, Avhen the attendance on his person was natu
rally much reduced. One of his valets was bribed to
undertake the conduct of the affair ; and in considera
tion of an ample pecuniary equivalent for the service he
was rendering, undertook to admit a body of the con
spirators into the sleeping apartment of the Grand-

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 213
Master, where his capture might easily be effected. All
being noAV satisfactorily arranged, and the plot having
assumed a very feasible aspect, nothing remained but to
fix the time for carrying it into execution. The con
spirators, however, found to their cost, that a traitor is
an edged tool, likely to cut both ways, and not more to
be trusted by his new employers than by his original
master. Whether the valet was over-bribed to reveal
the conspiracy, or whether he Avas in reality, as has
been alleged, so faithfully attached to his lord as to
have shrunk from entering into the views of his enemies,
it is very certain that he revealed the entire plot to
Villaret, who was thus put completely on his guard as
to the insidious designs in agitation against him.
The promptitude and boldness of his character stood
him in good stead at this critical moment, nor was he
long in forming a decision as to the line of conduct he
intended to pursue. Under the pretence of a hunting
party in the country, he, with a chosen body of his ad
herents, left his palace on the morning of the day which
was to have ended in his capture, and betook himself in
all haste to the Castle of Lindos, a fortified post, about
seven miles from Rhodes, protecting a small but con
venient and well-sheltered harbour. Once safely lodged
within the ramparts of this asylum, Villaret bid defiance
to the wiles of his antagonists, and protested against
any acts to which the council might resort during his
absence. Enraged at the failure of their enterprise, and
conceiving that, by this act of open defiance, Villaret
had completely compromised himself, the malcontents
once more assembled in solemn conclave at the council
board, where they found themselves joined by many of
the more moderate members, who had hitherto remained
p 3

214 A HISTORY OF
neuter, but who now threw the weight of their influence
into the adverse scale, when they found that their chief
had so far outstepped the limits of his authority as to
seize upon and retain, in defiance of their orders, a
stronghold of which they alone were the lords, and
which he was garrisoning with foreign mercenaries, un
connected with the Order,
Loud and stormy was the debate, for, even then,
Villaret was not without his friends, whose allegiance
he had secured, either by the brilhancy of his former
reputation, or by the munificence of his later days.
Their voices, hoAvever, were not sufficient to stay the
progress of the storm ; his last offence had been too
open and barefaced to admit of explanation, and a
decree was therefore passed deposing him from his
office. The next step necessary to be taken was to pro
vide a successor to occupy the vacant post ; and here
the politic Aviles of Maurice de Pagnac reaped their
expected fruit. He had, from the very first, been the
leader and the mainstay of the insurrectionary move
ment, to whom each one had looked for guidance and
support in the desperate crisis which was clearly draw
ing on. Now, therefore, when a chief was required, of
sufficient energy to establish and retain his usurped
authority, every eye Avas naturally turned on him, as
the most fitting candidate for the difficult post. He
was therefore unanimously elected as the new Grand-
Master, and a report of the whole proceedings, together
with the fact of his nomination, was at once forwarded
to the See of Rome, for the decision and approval of
the Pope,
Villaret, at the same time, from his fastness at Lindos,
likewise forwarded his version of the affair in an appeal

TUB KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 215
to his ecclesiastical superior. Here, then, was a tempt
ing opportunity presented to the pontiff of intermeddling
in the affairs of the Order, and of measuring his
influence and authority therein. Three several bulls
Avere at once issued by him, dated in the year 1317,
in the first of which his Holiness thus addressed Villaret :
"We are sorry to learn that you have been assaulted
and compelled by your own Knights to fly from the
city of Rhodes into a fortress in another part of that
island ; and although their conduct appears to have
been highly incorrect, still you are accused of having
excited it ; we therefore cite both them and you to
our presence, in order that we may investigate the
affair, and base our decision on correct information,"
The second brief was addressed to Pagnac, citing him
to appear likewise at Avignon, and the third nominated
a Vicar-General, who should act as a locum tenens for
the Grand-Master during the absence of the two claim
ants for that dignity,* The Knight, Avho was selected
by the pontiff to hold this post, was Gerard de Pins,
a personage of considerable note and very weighty
influence amongst his brethren. During the disputes
which had led to the deposition of Villaret and the
election of a rival, he had retained a strict neutrality,
supporting neither side, but lending the powerful in
fluence of his example to those who were endeavouring
to heal the schism thus unfortunately generated in
their midst.
The nomination of the Pope was acquiesced in by all
* These three documents are all in existence amongst the papal
archives at Rome. p 4

216 A HISTORY OF
parties without dispute, and during an interval of fif
teen years, which elapsed before a Grand-Master once
again ruled in propria persona in Rhodes, he main
tained the dignity of his Order with the most exemplary
firmness. The two claimants, whose disagreements were about
to become the objeiit of papal decision, departed on
their journey to Avignon, the city to Avhich Clement
had, on his election to the chair of St, Peter, transferred
his seat of government, and where his successor, John
XXIL, the then pontiff, still resided. During the
course of this voyage Pagnac had ample opportunities
for discovering that the sympathies of Europe were
strongly biassed in favour of his rival. Wherever
they passed, he found that Villaret was received with
all the honours due to the chief of a powerful Order,
who had in his own person, by the conquest of Rhodes,
achieved a European renown; whilst he himself was,
by the vast majority, looked upon simply as an insur
rectionary firebrand who had, from motives of ambition,
excited those Knights, over whom he had any influence,
to revolt against their legitimate chief. When they
arrived at Avignon, he found matters not one Avhit
improved ; whatever might be the views of John with
reference to the conduct of Villaret, he was certainly
by no means disposed to favour Pagnac, and that
Knight soon perceived that all chance of establishing
his claim to the dignity of Grand-Master, for Avhich
he had so long toiled and plotted, and to which he so
ardently aspired, was at an end for ever. In the bitter
ness of disappointment he withdrew himself from the
papal court to indulge in solitude that chagrin with
which he was overwhelmed ; a chagrin which preyed

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 217
SO actively on his feelings, that he sank under its
influence. His death removed one great difficulty from the
path of the Pope, who now saw his way clear to the
solution of the difficulty in a manner which should
enable him to place a creature of his own at the head
of the Order. With this vicAV he reinstated Villaret
in his office ; not, however, before he had exacted from
him a pledge that he would resign it again immediately,
receiving in return the promise of a priory to which
he might retire, and in which he might enjoy the
dignities of his station and the revenues of his new
office, free from all control on the part of the Order
to which he belonged. Villaret having, in accordance
with this pledge, resigned his post into the hands of
the Pope, John summoned to Avignon all the Knights
of the Hospital Avho were within reach of his influence,
and there, beneath his oAvn surveillance, and under the
pressure of his OAvn immediate presence, he caused a
successor to be elected, in Avhose allegiance and ready
obedience he felt sure that he could confide. Elyon
de Villanova was the Knight thus selected, and irre
gular as was the mode of his nomination, the fraternity
felt themselves unable to resist it ; he was, therefore,
duly recognised by them as their ncAV chief, and took
his position on the rolls of the Order as the twenty-
fifth Grand-Master, in the year 1319. Villaret received
the priory which had been promised to him, and retired
thither in bitterness of spirit, to end in solitude and
disgrace that life, the earher portion of Avhich had been
so brilliant and prosperous. Sad fate for a man Avho
had undoubtedly done great things, not only for his
own Order, but for Christianity at large ; and the

218 A HISTORY OF
student of history will not fail to sympathise Avith that
noble though ambitious spirit thus untimely doomed
to a life of inglorious inactivity. No records bearing
upon the rest of his career are now in existence ; all
that is known is that he died at Montpelier, where,
in the Church of St. John, his monument still exists,
on which his dignities are recorded, but without any
mention of his degradation.*
By this arrangement on the part of the Pope, the in
terests of the Order suffered a double injury. In the
first place they received as a chief a Knight not of their
own selection, but a nominee of his, and one who soon
gave evidence of the influences under which he was acting
by bestowing some of the most A'aluable property of the
Order upon the needy relatives of his patron.f The
other injury inflicted on the Hospitallers, was the alien-
* The inscription runs thus:— "Anno Domini MCCCXX.VII. die
salicet l^^ Semptembris obiit nobilissimus Dominus Frater Folquetus
de Villareto Magister magni Hospitalio Sacrse Domus Sancti Joannis
Baptistse Hyerosolimitani Cujus anima requiescat in pace. Amen.
Die pro me pater et ave."
t It is stated in many histories that Pope John XXII. was the son
of a cobbler. Whether this be true or not, it would be difficult now
to determine ; but there is no doubt whatever that he sprang from a
very low origin. An amusing story is told of his election. It ap
pears that he had earned a very high reputation for sanctity and
humility ; two virtues which shone so pre-eminently in his person
that he received the cardinal's hat amidst universal approbation.
This dignity did not appear in the least to exalt the lowly churchman
in his own eyes ; and when the election of a Pope at the death of
Clement gave rise to much dispute, he took no share therein. It was
therefore unanimously agreed between the rival candidates that the
nomination should be left in his hands. To their amazement and
consternation, this humble priest, in his mildest voice, pronounced
the words, " Ego sum Papa,'' and thus nominated himself to the vacant
dignity. .

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 219
ation from their jurisdiction, during the lifetime of Vil
laret, of the priory to which he had been nominated.
They thus learnt the bitter lesson, that bj' disagreement
among themselves they Avere paving the way for the
admission of a power Avhich would be exercised in a
manner highly prejudicial to their interests.
Villanova Avas in no hurry to exchange the luxuries
of the papal court for the comparative banishment of a
residence at Rhodes, and for a period of thirteen years
he, under one pretence and another, postponed his de
parture. During this interval a general chapter Avas
held by his mandate at Montpelier, at which the Order
was, for the first time, divided into languages. Most
writers, in treating of this subject, have dated this
method of dividing the fraternity almost as far back
as its first establishment. There appears, however,
nothing whatever in the records now existing to warrant
any such supposition, it being at this council that a
diA'ision into languages appears for the first time. The
Order, although originally established by Italian mer
chants, had rapidly become decidedly French in its com
position, and this element had always afterwards pre
ponderated. The assembly of the council at Montpelier
added yet further to the influence of the French mem
bers. We find, therefore, that in fixing the number of
the languages at seven, no less than three of those seven
were French: viz. the languages of France, Provence,
and Auvergne. The other four being Italy, Germany,
England, and Aragon. The dignities in the gift of
the Order were at the same time attached in proper
proportion to these new divisions; the leading posts,
owing to the preponderance of French influence, being
given to their three languages. The name of Sir John

220 A HISTORY OF
Builbrulx appears at this convocation as the turcopolier,
a dignity then appropriated permanently to the English
language. In addition to this grand cross, three others
were at the same time appropriated to England : namely,
the baihwick of the Eagle (an honorary distinction
formerly belonging to the Templars), and the grand
priories of England and Ireland.
Many needful reforms Avere at this conclave intro
duced into the regulations, most imperatively called for
owing to the extreme laxity of the discipline which,
during the later years of Villaret's rule, had been pre
valent amongst the fraternity. The number of those
who preferred an easy and luxurious residence in a
European commandery to the secluded life and constant
Avarfare demanded of thera at Rhodes, was very great,
and the difficulty of compelling the absentees to make
their appearance at the convent had increased so rapidly,
that this subject was the first brought under considera
tion at the meeting of the council. It AA^as ultimately
decreed that a certain term of actual residence in Rhodes,
and the performance of a definite number of caravans
(as the voyages on board their galleys Avere called),
should be an absolute requirement to qualify a Knight
for holding any official post or dignity whatsoever.
Several other stringent reforms were at the same time
proposed and agreed to, though not without consider
able discussion and many loud marks of dissatisfaction,
in fact it soon became apparent that, owing to the coun
cil having been held in France, where the European
dignitaries of the Order preponderated, they appeared
more interested in the preservation of their local in
terests, than in strengthening the hands of the Grand-
Master and the power of the central government.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 221
Despite the warning which they had received in the
savage persecution of their brothers of the Temple, there
were not wanting members sufficiently daring to raise
their voices at the council board, and urge the complete
abandonment of Rhodes, and the retirement of the Order
within their European commanderies. To the struggle
for the acquisition of Rhodes, and the necessary outlay
for its subsequent fortification and maintenance, they
attributed all the financial difficulties of their treasury :
difficulties which, in spite of their recent acquisition of
Templar revenues, Avere in some countries threatening
to overwhelm them with insolvency.* They urged, also,
that the new system of naval warfare, in which they
were engaging, was at variance with the leading prin
ciples of the institution, and unbefitting their knightly
character; that since the abandonment of the Holy
Land, they could render little or no service to the cause
of Christianity by the maintenance of a predatory and
desultory warfare amidst the piratical islets of the
Levant, As a radical cure for these evils, they pro
posed the abandonment of their new stronghold ; a re
medy which, whilst doubtless it would have been most
agreeable to themselves, would inevitably, if carried
* This was especially the case in England, where, in the early
part of the fourteenth century, the revenues of the Hospital had fallen
into such an encumbered and embarrassed condition, under the super
intendence of Thomas Larcher, the Grand-Prior of England, that a
general insolvency was feared. Fortunately, however, for their inte
rests, the unthrifty Thomas Larcher either resigned or was deposed,
and Leonard de Tybertis, the prior of Venice, nominated his succes
sor. This Knight, by his skill in finance, succeeded in restoring the
credit of his priory ; and we find it, under the governance of his suc
cessor, Philip de Thame, in 1338, returning a comparatively satis
factory revenue to the public treasury.

222 A HISTORY OF
into effect, have speedily caused the complete destruction
of the Order, Fortunately for their general interests,
the views of these laggard Knights did not find favour
with the majority of the council; and instead of the
abandonment of Rhodes, measures for its more ample
protection received the sanction of the assembly.
This council was held in 1331, and in the following
year Villanova, after a delay of thirteen years from
the date of his election, landed at Rhodes. Here he
found that, under the governance of Gerard de Pins,
the fortifications of the town had been considerably
augmented and improved, and a spirit of discipline
introduced into the convent to which for many years
it had been a stranger.
Whilst thus strengthening his position at home,
Gerard de Pins had also been called upon to resist
the aggressions of a foreign foe. Orcan, the son and
successor of Othman, deeming that the opportunity
Avas favourable which the dissensions caused by the
deposition of Villaret had afforded, determined upon
renewing the attempt upon the island in which his
father had so miserably failed. He assembled a large
fleet upon the shores of the province of Caria, and
being joined by considerable numbers of the former
inhabitants of Rhodes who had been expelled by Vil
laret, he set sail for that island, Gerard, who had
received timely notice of the contemplated descent,
determined not to await the shock of their assault
behind the walls of his fortress, but to attack them
boldly on that element on which he himself had been
already so often victorious. Manning, therefore, such
of his galleys as were then lying in the harbour, and
being joined by six Genoese vessels which had rendez-

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 223
Voused there, he put to sea and encountered the
enemy near the little island of Episcopia.
The Infidel fleet Avas vastly superior in point of
numbers; but they laboured under the disadvantage
of being inconveniently crowded with the troops
destined for the attack of Rhodes. The seamanship
of the Hospitallers and the skill with which they took
advantage of their greater powers of manoeuvring
more than counterbalanced their disadvantages in
point of number, and the day ended in the complete
destruction of the Infidel fleet; many of which AVere
sunk and others captured, so that but few escaped
from the scene of strife. This disaster was such a
check to the Infidel power that Gerard, during the
remainder of his government, was left unmolested to
pursue the reforms he had instituted, and on the
landing of Elyon de Villanova, he resigned the reins
of office with the proud satisfaction of knowing that
his rule had reflected glory upon himself and had
been most beneficial to the interests of his fraternity.
It was during the earlier years of Villanova's
residence at -the convent, that the legend is recorded
of the encounter of a Hospitaller with the famous
dragon of Rhodes. The story is So well known and
has been made the subject of so much illustration,
that it appears almost needless to repeat it in these
pages ; still, as it was one of the incidents held in
the highest estimation among the Order in subse
quent ages, and retains a prominent place with all
their historians, it would be wrong to pass it over in
silence. The story runs that a large monster had
made its appearance in the island, where it committed
the most fearful dcA^astation, carrying off numbers of

224 A HISTORY OF
the inhabitants, especially women and children, and
estabhshing itself as the terror and scourge of the
locality. Numerous attempts had been made to ac-
comphsh its destruction, but in vain ; and many of the
bravest Knights had lost their fives in the gallant
endeavours which they made to rid the country of this
terrible pest. The Grand-Master, dismayed at the
losses his Order had sustained in this novel warfare,
forbade, under pain of the severest penalties, any fur
ther attempts at the destruction of the monster.
One Knight alone had the hardihood to dare a dis
obedience to his mandate, Deodato de Gozon, a youth
whose dauntless courage scorned to quail beneath this
strange foe, and whose chivalric heart was touched Avith
the deepest emotion at the wail of grief extorted
from the miserable inhabitants by the ever-recurring
attacks of the dragon, felt that he could not refrain
from one further attempt in behalf of these suffering
peasants. Without confiding his design to any one, he
retired by permission to France, where, in his paternal
castle, he caused a fac-siraile of the monster to be con
structed in wood, covered with scales, and exhibiting,
as nearly as possible, the terrifying aspect of its living
counterpart. Having procured two English bull-dogs,
whose breed was even then famous throughout Europe,
he trained them to the attack of his fictitious monster,
teaching them to fix their gripe upon the belly, where
the animal was unprotected with scales. Having
thoroughly accustomed his four-footed assistants to the
aspect of their foe, he returned to Rhodes, where he at
once proceeded to carry his project into execution. It
is needless to enter into the details of the contest, though
these are fondly dwelt on, with the most elaborate

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 225
minuteness, by the recorders of the legend, Gozon, by
the aid of his canine allies, achieved the destruction of
his enemy, though not before he" had Avell-nigh paid
with his life the penalty of his temerity, at the first
onset of the brute. He was borne back in triumph to
Rhodes, where the whole toAvn received their deliverer
with the loudest acclamations. This, however, was
destined to be but short-lived ; the Grand-Master
promptly summoned him to appear before the council,
to answer for the disobedience of Avhich he had been
guilty ; and on his appearance, in spite of the earnest
entreaties of his friends, he stripped him of his habit, as
an unworthy and rebellious member. Having, by this
display of severity, duly marked his determination to
enforce obedience to his mandates, Villanova relented,
and, in consideration of the noble gallantry which
Deodato had displayed in the action, he not only
restored his habit, but nominated him to one of the
richest commanderies in his gift.
How far this legend can be borne out by facts is a
very disputed point ; some writers throAving discredit
over the entire story, whilst others are prepared to
admit the probability of its having at all events its
foundation in truth. The opponents of the legend argue
upon the gross improbability of the existence of any
such monster, with the voracious propensities and ex
traordinary powers attributed to it: they also assert,
that in the fourteenth century, there could have been
no difficulty in achieving its destruction, without having
recourse to the knightly, but somewhat antiquated, ex
pedient of a combat on horseback. The use of Greek
fire had long been known, and gunpowder itself was
coming gradually into use. With the assistance of
VOL, I, Q

226 A HISTORY OF
these agents, it Avould not have been necessary for the
attacking party to have run any great danger in securing
the extermination of the reptile. On the other hand, it
seems strange that the story should have obtained such
very general credence, and been so universally upheld
by succeeding generations. It is also an indisputable
fact, that the tomb of Gozon bore the inscription, " Ci
git le vainqueur du dragon," There appears no way of
accounting for this inscription, without attaching a cer
tain amount of belief to some portion of the legend:
the probability is, that Gozon did destroy some savage
wild beast which had infested the island, after others
had failed in their attempts, and had thus gained for
himself a reputation that gradually swelled in its
dimensions, until it eventually attained the gigantic
proportions of the above recorded fable,
Villanova had not long assumed the chief conduct of
affairs in Rhodes, before he was called upon by the Pope
to join in a league to check the aggressive designs of
the Turks, The other members of the alliance were to
be the king of Cyprus, the republic of Venice, and the
Pope himself. In his letter, demanding their aid, the
pontiff prefers his request by bringing the most vehe
ment accusations against the Order, for their luxurious
mode of life, general effeminacy, and gross laxity of dis
cipline; That these complaints were not devoid of truth
is probable ; but the tone of the letter, concluding, as
it did, with a proposal, or more properly speaking, a
demand, that they should contribute six galleys to the
allied fleet, marks the object for which the reproaches
were made. The assistance of the Order was most ur
gently required to forward the political views of his
Holiness, and he consequently strove to render a refusal

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 227
impossible, by coupling his request with an accusation
of a want of zeal in the cause of Christianity, His
letter had the desired effect : the Order embraced the
opportunity thus afforded of disproving the charges
preferred against them, contributed their full quota
to the allied armament ; and throughout the war which
succeeded became the life and soul of the expedition.
The only result of any importance achieved by the
league, was the capture of a fortress at the entrance
of the Gulf of Smyrna, where the horde of infidel
pirates who infested the eastern shores of the Mediter
ranean had been accustomed to find a ready shelter.
This isolated and exposed stronghold was retained by
the Hospitallers, through numberless difficulties and
dangers, until the commencement of the succeeding cen
tury, when they were finally expelled by Tamerlane,
The league lasted, with varied success, for several
years, until its members having dropped out one by one,
the Hospitallers found themselves without assistance to
carry out its further prosecution. A Avar had broken
out between the Genoese and the Venetians, which com
pelled the former republic to withdraw from the alliance.
The Pope also soon became eager to retire from a con
test which was draining his treasury, without much
tangible result. The league consequently died a natural
death, and, without any actual treaty of peace having
ever been made, active hostilities ceased, and matters
gradually resumed their former footing.
During the interval, however, the Order had expe
rienced a change of rulers, for in 1346 Villanova died,
and Deodato de Gozon, the hero of the dragon, Avas
elected as his successor, Vertot relates, that on the
Q 2

228 A HISTORY OF
occasion of this nomination, Gozon rose in his place at
the council-board, and taking his audience completely
by surprise, nominated himself as the best qualified
person to succeed to the vacant office. This tale is a
vile fabrication, for among the documents recently dis
covered amidst the archives of the Vatican, there has
been found a letter, addressed to him from Clement VI. ,
dated in July 1346, in which, after congratulating him
on his election to the supreme dignity, the Pope alludes
to the fact of his having been prevailed upon Avith great
reluctance to accept the post. This letter, coupled
with the circumstance of his having twice afterwards
tendered his resignation, most completely exonerates his
memory from the stigma of arrogance which this anec
dote of Vertot's is calculated to cast upon it.
During his continuance in office, Gozon was much
troubled with the difficulty he experienced in obtaining
responsions from the more remote commanderies ; and
a circular is extant, addressed by him to the priors of
Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, reproaching them with
not having remitted any responsions since they had left
Acre. The war between the Genoese and Venetians
created a new difficulty against which Gozon had to con
tend. The Order contained within its ranks Knights
belonging to both these nations, who naturally sym
pathised with their countrymen in the struggle they
were respectively carrying on, and when residing in
their European commanderies were not unfrequently
found among the belligerent forces on either side. By
the rules of the Institution no Knight was permitted to
draw his SAVord in behalf of any quarrel subsisting be
tween Christian nations; the Pope, therefore, called
upon Gozon to put a stop to this infraction of their

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 229
statutes; a mandate far easier given than obeyed.
Deodato, in reply to his Holiness, affirms that the Order,
in its corporate capacity, had never sided with any
European power Avhen at war with its neighbour, but
that it would be impossible for him to prevent individual
Knights from giving such practical proofs of their
sympathies. This response appears to have given but
little satisfaction at the Papal court ; nor Avas this the
only incident which occurred to disturb the quiet of
Gozon's rule.
The due control and governance of the principal
officers and dignitaries of the Institution residing at a
distance from his own immediate supervision became
annually a matter of increasing difficulty. Possessed,
by their position, of considerable patronage and the
control over large sources of wealth, they were enabled
to ingratiate themselves Avith the higher powers in the
various countries where they were residing ; and finding
themselves protected and supported in their disobedience
by the monarch, they were enabled to bid defiance to
the authority of the Grand-Master. Gozon became so
deeply hurt at finding himself contemned, that he twice
petitioned the Pope to permit hira to resign his office.
On the first occasion he was induced by the pontiff,
after much persuasion, to retain his dignity ; but on the
second application his request was granted. He did
not, however, live to carry out his purpose, a stroke of
apoplexy having brought his career to a termination in
the latter part of the year 1353.
At this time there resided at the court of Avignon,
as ambassador from Rhodes, a Knight of the name of
Heredia, who had found means to ingratiate himself
Q 3

230 A HISTORY OF
with the pontiff to such an extent that he became his
principal confidant and councillor in all matters of state.
By the influence, if not the direct nomination, of the
pontiff, he had been elected prior both of Castile and
St, Gilles, and castellan of Emposta, dignities which
elevated him far above any of his fraternity then resident
in Europe, Being, however, a man of a naturally am
bitious turn of mind, and fearing, from his general un
popularity in the Order, that he would have no prospect
of obtaining the dignity of Grand-Master, the idea sug
gested itself to his scheming brain that if he could
procure the removal of the Grand-Master and the convent
from Rhodes, he might himself become nominated by
his friend the Pope to the supreme rule in that island,
and to the title of bailiff, an authority which, in the
hands of so unscrupulous and ambitious a man, would
have been exercised with but little reference to the con
trol of his chief. Under his advice, and acting in accord
ance with the suggestions he had judiciously made, the
Pope despatched him, in company Avith Raymond de Be-
ranger and "Peter de Cornillan, a relation and namesake
of the new Grand-Master, to Rhodes, to submit his views
before a general council of the Order.
In this embassy he was instructed to inform the
Grand-Master, on the part of the Pope, that it was his
desire that the convent should be at once removed from
Rhodes to the neighbouring continent ; where, in the
immediate contiguity of the Saracen, it might, by the
terror of its name and the prowess of its members, check
all further aggressions on their part, and form an ad
vanced post of Christianity in the very midst of its foes.
It was with feelings of dismay that the Grand-Master
listened to the treacherous and cunningly-devised sug-

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 231
gestions thus laid before him. On the one hand, he felt
that natural reluctance which became a faithful and
obedient son of the Church to oppose himself to the
desires of its supreme head ; whilst, on the other hand,
he could not but foresee that the probable result of any
such movement would be plunging the Order defenceless,
and far from aid, into the midst of its relentless foes,
by whom its speedy and utter extermination would
most inevitably be effected.
Under these conflicting circumstances he decided upon
throwing as many obstacles as possible in the Avay of
the papal project, Avithout attempting any open opposi
tion. With this view he explained to the ambassador
that, although he was himself at all times ready to obey
Avhatever mandates he might receive froiii: his Holiness,
still that this Avas a matter upon which he : personally
had not authority to decide. The; proposed change of
residence was a matter of so gre^t : importance to the
future welfare of the fraternity, that it would be neces
sary to assemble a grand council, wherein the project
might be debated and decided on. It by no means ac
corded with the views of the Pope that this council should
be held in Rhodes, as its distance from Avignon was so
great as to prevent him from using that influence and
that pressure upon its members Avhich would be neces
sary to secure their acquiescence in his new scheme.
A council held in Rhodes would be attended by those
whose attachments and interests would all naturally
lean towards remaining in the island where they were
located ; whilst he trusted to find, amidst the dignitaries
of the Order resident in France, a sufficient number
more desirous of securing his favour than careful for
the welfare of their own institution. He therefore sum-
Q 4

232 A HISTORY OF
moned the council to assemble at Montpeher; but,
before its time for meeting had arrived, he determined
to bring it still closer within the sphere of his influence,
and changed its venue to Avignon,
Prior to the meeting of this council, however, the Pope
had changed his views as to the locahty to which he pur
posed transferring the convent. Instead of the coast of
Asia Minor, he now looked to the Morea, as a more
suitable and advantageous point of occupation. To this
change Heredia made no opposition. Provided the con
vent was removed from Rhodes, so that he might assume
the government of the island, it mattered little to him
whither they were transferred ; and he therefore sup
ported this new proposition with the same earnestness
as he had done the former one. The title to the Morea
was at this time in dispute between James of Savoy and
the emperor of Constantinople, but the greater portion
of it was in the actual possession of the Turks, who were
advancing step by step towards its complete acquisition.
Negotiations were entered into with James of Savoy
on the part of the council, to treat for the transfer of a
place of residence for the Order of St. John. These
negotiations were purposely spun out by every possible
device ; the project of a residence in the Morea being as
little to the taste of the fraternity as that in Asia ; and
the death of James of Savoy, which took place before
anything definite was decided upon, caused the design
to drop to the ground and become virtually abandoned.
Whilst this weighty matter was in abeyance, Peter .de
Cornillan, or Corniellan, a Knight of Provence, and
formerly grand-prior of St. Gilles, had guided the fortunes
of the Order ; he having succeeded Deodato de Gozon as
Grand-Master in 1353. He did not, however, live to

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 233
witness the assembly of the council, having died in 1355,
when he Avas succeeded by Roger de Pins, also a Knight
of Provence, whose rule lasted during a period of
five years. The only event of importance which occurred
to mark this interval was an attempt made on the part
of the Order to impeach Heredia before a grand council
for having detained and mal-appropriated its revenues :
they soon, however, found that he had established him
self too firmly in the good graces of the pontiff to enable
them to effect his overthrow ; the result of the council
being to confirm him in all his dignities, without afford
ing any redress for the spoliations which he had effected.
At the same council it was decreed that in future no
serving brother should be raised into the class of Knights
of justice; and also to prevent any further mal-appro
priation of their revenues, such as that of which Heredia
had been guilty, general receivers were nominated, to
Avhom all responsions should be paid and by whom
they should be remitted directly to Rhodes.
At the death of Roger de Pins, Raymond Beranger,
also a Knight of Provence, was elected to the vacant
dignity, and inaugurated his accession by an expedition,
Avhich he undertook in concert with the king of Cyprus,
against the Infidel. The port of Alexandria had of
late years become the principal rendezvous of the
Turkish corsairs who infested the Levant; and Beranger,
in conjunction with his ally, determined on making a
sudden and bold attempt against this powerful fortress.
The armament assembled in Cyprus, and consisted of a
fleet, numbering nearly one hundred vessels of various
sizes, carrying a large body of troops, Avho were mostly
mercenaries, serving under the banner of St. John. The
sudden appearance of this expedition within the port of

234 A HISTORY OF
Alexandria, took its garrison completely by surprise ;
and Beranger, hoping to profit by their confusion,
ordered an immediate assault. The number of the
defenders was, however, too strong to enable him to suc
ceed in his attempt at a coup de main. The parapets
Avere speedily lined on every side, and wherever the
Christians attempted to penetrate, they met with a most
determined and obstinate resistance.
This was the first occasion upon Avhich the Order had,
Avithin the lifetime of any of its then existing members,
unfurled its banners and raised its war cry in a regular
expedition against the Infidel ; they were, therefore,
nerved and excited by feelings of emulation to vie with
the prowess of their predecessors. In vain the defenders
poured the most murderous missiles upon their opponents.
In spite of the showers of arrows which darkened the
air in every direction ; heedless of the boiling oil and
the Greek fire, which was streamed upon those who
attempted to mount the ladders ; or of the huge rocks,
beneath whose weight they were crushed to the earth,
they still persisted in the assault. Encouraged by the
presence and example of their chief, after each successive
repulse they returned with redoubled ardour to the
attempt, until at length, overcoming every obstacle, they
forced their Avay into the town, and drove the Infidels
for shelter into their citadel. This desperate struggle
cost the fraternity no less than one hundred Knights,
but its results were of sufficient importance to Avarrant
the sacrifice. The booty found in the town was
enormous, and the shipping in its harbour so extensive,
that its destruction was a serious blow to the power of
the Turk.
This capture took place on the 10th of October 1365 ;

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 235
and Raymond immediately prepared to attack the citadel,
which was still occupied by the enemy. Before, how
ever, he could achieve its capture, he learnt that the
sultan was advancing to its relief with an army so
powerful that it would be in vain for him to attempt a
contest ; he therefore burnt the town, together with all
the shipping in the harbour, and whatever else could
not be transported ; and re-embarking his forces, re
turned in triumph to Rhodes.
Raymond died in the early part of the year 1374,
and was followed in his dignity by Robert Julliac,
Grand- Prior of France, Avho at the time of his election
was resident in his priory. His first act, on receiving
his nomination, was to proceed to Avignon to pay his
homage to the Pope ; whilst there, he received instruc
tions from his Holiness, that his Order should in future
take under their entire control the responsibility and
direction of the defence of Smyrna ; a post which, whilst
most valuable to the interests of Christianity, was one
of extreme danger and costliness to its immediate
holders. Situated as it was, at a considerable distance
from Rhodes, its garrison was completely isolated ; and
upon any energetic attempt on the part of the enemy
by whom it was surrounded, its destruction would easily
be accomplished, before reinforcements could possibly
arrive. The cost also of the maintenance of such a
garrison as the place imperatively demanded, Avas a
terrible drain upon the already crippled resources of
the treasury at Rhodes. As a partial alleviation of
this burden, the Pope assigned to the Order, for the
special support of the Smyrna garrison, the sum of
one thousand livres annually, payable out of the tithes
of the kingdom of Cyprus,

236 A HISTORY OF
Charged Avith these unwelcome instructions, Julliac
proceeded to Rhodes, and there, before a general
council, he announced the mandate of the pontiff to
its members. Their dismay on receiving this intelli
gence was universal; it Avas felt that the post was
one of almost certain destruction, and that whoever
should be nominated to form one of its garrison
would be proceeding to inevitable death. At the same
time it would be very difficult for them to oppose
themselves to the wishes of the pontiff Avithout in
curring the imputation of coAvardice, a charge from
Avhich every member of the fraternity shrank with a
chivalric horror worthy of their high reputation. It
was, therefore, decided to accept the trust, and all
difficulty regarding the nomination of its garrison was
brought to a close by the voluntary offers of service
made by several of the Knights, who were forthwith
despatched to occupy their new acquisition.
The rule of Julliac was very brief ; for, in the middle
of the year 1377, Ave find Heredia, the castellan of
Emposta, elected to the post vacant by his death. The
career of this man was so extraordinary and his influ
ence over the fortunes of the Order both for evil and
good so powerful, that he has Avith justice been looked
upon as one of the most conspicuous characters who
have figured in its annals. Descended from a noble
family in Aragon, he was the younger brother of the
Grand-Justiciary of that kingdom ; a post of honour
and importance second only to that of the crown. His
brother, who had been for some years married without
issue, felt desirous to see his family perpetuated through
his brother Juan ; he therefore caused him to marry at

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 237
a very early age. The fruits of this marriage were
only two girls, at the birth of the second of whom Juan
was left a widower. His brother, still eager upon the
same subject, lost no time in providing him with a
second spouse, selecting upon this occasion the niece
of his own wife. From this union sprang a son, who
was regarded by both his father and uncle as the
future inheritor of all the vast wealth and high dig
nities of the family ; Juan himself being by the action
of the law of primogeniture totally destitute of fortune
and entirely dependent upon his brother. His second
wife died after giving birth to a daughter ; and shortly
afterwards, to his utter dismay and the complete over
throw of all his expectations, his brother's wife, who
had for so many years been childless, gave birth to a
son, whose advent Avas speedily followed by that of
another. This disastrous incident left Juan high in
spirit and haughty in temperament, but beggared in
fortunes. Unable to rest calmly in his new position,
and to remain through life an abject pensioner upon
his brother, he secretly took his departure for Rhodes,
leaving his children under the protection of their uncle.
There he was received with every demonstration of
Avelcome by the Grand-Master, Elyon de Villanova.
After his profession he soon ingratiated himself Avith
the dignitaries of his newly adopted Order, and his
advancement became as rapid as his merits and his
high birth warranted, until at length he Avas appointed
castellan of Emposta, the most important post next to
that of Grand-Master which the Order possessed.
The grand priory of Catalonia having become vacant,
the nomination of a successor to the dignity gave rise

238 A HISTORY OF
to a dispute between the Pope and the Grand- Master.
The former had nominated a proteg^ of his own in
defiance of the wishes of the council, and in utter dis
regard to the claims of seniority. In such a delicate
matter the Grand-Master felt desirous that the dispute
should, if possible, be decided amicably. He determined,
therefore, upon sending an ambassador to the court of
Avignon, with plenary powers to treat with his Holi
ness upon the disputed question. This was an office of
much delicacy, and would require a person of extreme
tact, and one in Avhose judgment and good faith the
council could place implicit reliance, Heredia was
unanimously selected for the office, and,, after having
received the most detailed instructions as to the line of
conduct he should pursue toAvards the Pope, he set sail
for Avignon,
The first intervicAv which took place between the
Pope and himself after his arrival, proved to him very
clearly that it Avould be impossible to induce Clement
to revoke the nomination which he had made to the
vacant dignity. He therefore directed his energies to
wards bringing about an amicable compromise, by which
the dignity of neither party might be offended. After
much negotiation with the rival claimants, in the
course of which he displayed in an eminent degree that
diplomatic address which was destined to become
the means of securing his own advancement, Heredia
obtained their joint consent to an arrangement by
Avhich the revenues of the priory were to be equally
divided between them. To this decision the Pope wil
lingly gave his sanction, overjoyed to find the dispute
brought to a close without the necessity of any retrac
tation on his part. Had the matter ended here the

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 239
embassy of Heredia would have caused the most bene
ficial results to his Order ; but, unfortunately his over
weening ambition, ever on the alert for opportunities
of advancement, prompted him to discover that he
would be enabled to secure his own personal advantage
far better by ingratiating himself at the papal court
than by a weary residence in Rhodes. Instead, there
fore, of taking his departure after his embassy had
been brought to this satisfactory conclusion, he lingered
at Avignon until he had succeeded in obtaining from
the pontiff the appointment of supervisor to the dis
puted priory ; neither of its joint holders being com
petent, from their advanced age, to undertake its
management themselves. Their death, which occurred
shortly afterwards, left the office of prior open, and
Heredia had by this time established himself so far
in favour at Avignon, that he obtained without diffi
culty his own appointment to the vacant dignity.
The dismay of the council at Rhodes may be con
ceived Avhen they discovered that the ambassador, from
whose diplomatic address they had expected such great
results, had himself taken advantage of those abuses
which they had commissioned him to oppose, to obtain
a nomination, to which by the rights of seniority he did
not possess the shadow of a claim. Heredia felt that
after having taken this step a return to Rhodes was im
possible. He therefore exerted himself to the utmost
to secure his position at the court of Avignon, and to
ingratiate himself with his new patron. In this he
was so successful, that ere long he became the fa
voured minister and principal adviser at the papal
court. About this time, hostilities having broken out between

240 A HISTORY OF
the kings of France and England, and an immediate
collision being anticipated, Clement, who was earnestly
desirous of avoiding such a consummation, despatched
Heredia, in the capacity of a mediator, to the hostile
camps, trusting that his diplomatic skill might suffice to
bring about a reconciliation. Heredia, who entertained
but slender hopes of such a result, secured the pontiffs
permission to attach himself to whichever side Avas
willing to accept his mediation, should the opposing
party decline to avail themselves of it. In the course
of his negotiations, he discovered that the king of
France, Avho was desirous of ridding himself upon any
terms of the English invaders, was most anxious to
accept his good offices ; but when he visited the British
camp he found Edward in a very different mood. His
offers of mediation were peremptorily refused, and
himself treated A\'ith the coolest disdain. Irritated at
this behaviour on the part of the English monarch, he
announced to him that, in pursuance of the permission
he had obtained, he should join the ranks of the French
king in the struggle which he perceived to be impend
ing. Within a few days afterwards, the celebrated
battle of Crecy was fought ; and Heredia, under the
French banner, displayed the most conspicuous gallantry,
and towards the close of the engagement was the means
of saving the king's life. He was, however, himself
desperately wounded in the affray, and for a considerable
time his life was despaired of. Whilst still lying in a
very dangerous condition from the effects of his wounds,
it came to his ears that some of the chivalry of Eng
land, in the hostile camp, had expressed themselves in
no measured terms upon the impropriety of an am
bassador having taken an active part in the battle.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 241
Heedless of his still precarious condition, Heredia at
once despatched a herald to Edward, offering the gage
of battle to any one who considered his conduct unbe
coming the character of his office. This gage would
undoubtedly have been accepted, had not Edward at
once honourably acquitted Heredia of all impropriety,
and published the declaration which he had made to
him before the battle commenced. As soon as he was
sufficiently recovered from his wounds, he once more re
sumed his office of negotiator, and it is to his good
services upon that occasion that the truce which was
shortly afterwards concluded between the two monarchs
has been generally attributed.
During the Pontificate of Innocent IL, the successor
of Clement, the fortunes of Heredia reached their zenith.
He had been the most intimate friend of the ncAV pontiff
prior to his elevation, and he now became his sole con
fidant and adviser. He was nominated governor of
Avignon, and the affairs of the Papacy were entirely
committed into his hands. Whilst occupying this ex
alted position, Heredia was courted on all sides ; and the
princes of Europe, Avith their ministers, sought by the
most lavish gifts to ingratiate themselves with a man in
Avhom so much power was vested. ?Ie consequently
amassed a vast amount of treasure, which he bestowed
upon his children, who now, no longer dependent on their
uncle's family, found themselves raised to a position
suited to the claims of their birth, and surrounded by
all the pomp and luxuries which wealth could bestow.
Heredia was a man of no ordinary mind ; and there was
a magnificence in his ideas more suited to one born to
the disposal of a princely revenue, than, like himself,
the cadet of a family however noble. Thus we find
VOL. I. R

242 A HISTORY OF
him, in gratitude to his patron, surrounding Avignon
Avith a fortified enceinte at his oavu cost, a work which
must have entailed the expenditure of a vast sum. The
Pope, equally prodigal in his gifts, though more crafty
in the source from whence he drew them, bestowed upon
him in return the two grand priories of Castile and St.
Gilles ; a gift the cost of which fell exclusively upon the
unfortunate Order of St. John, whose council beheld
with indignation all the principal dignities in their gift
heaped upon a man who had proved himself a traitor to
their interests.
After the death of Innocent, and during the sway of
his successor. Urban V., Heredia perceived that his
influence at the Papal court was sensibly declining ; and
after the election of Gregory XL it became still further
curtailed ; he therefore bethought him that it would be
wise to provide himself an honourable retirement in his
old age, away from the scene of political turmoil, in the
midst of which he had for so many years been plunged,
and he cast his eyes upon the Grand-Mastership of
Rhodes as precisely suited to his purpose. The death
of Julliac presented him with an appropriate opportunity
for carrying his designs into execution. Availing him
self of the vast interest which his position had secured
for him amongst the cardinals and others, whose voices
were likely to influence the Knights in their selection,
he caused himself to be put in nomination. The council
had so often felt the weight of his influence when ex
erted prejudicially to themselves, that they were not
slow in perceiving the policy of disarming his potent
antagonism, by linking his interests indissolubly with
their own. That he Avas the most able man by far for
the dignity then within the ranks of the fraternity was

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 243
universally admitted ; and so, after much bitter and
acrimonious discussion, he eventually beheld himself
duly elected to the post he coveted, and to which it had
hitherto appeared so improbable that he should ever
attain. It Avas at this time that Gregory carried into execu
tion the project he had long entertained of restoring the
seat of the Papacy to Rome, A period of seventy years
had now elapsed since Clement V. had removed it to
Avignon ; and he began to perceive, that unless some
such measure were adopted, the allegiance of the City
of the Seven Hills would in all probability be lost to
him for ever. The Pope was escorted in his voyage
from Marseilles to Italy by the ncAV Grand-Master, who
had assembled a fleet of eight galleys to accompany him
on his return to Rhodes. It is recorded that Heredia
himself, venerable from age, steered the galley in which
his Holiness was embarked ; and, having encountered a
severe tempest in the Gulf of Lyons, that he displayed the
most excellent seamanship in extricating his vessel from
its perilous position. Having seen the Pope securely
established in his new home, Heredia took his leave, and
proceeded on his way to the East.
Whilst off the coast of the Morea, he encountered a
Venetian fleet, then on their way to Patras, a city famous
for its commerce in silk, which had belonged to the
Venetian republic, but which had been recently captured
by the Turks. The object of this expedition was the
recapture of the place, and the Venetian general, over
joyed at his encounter with the Grand-Master's fleet,
implored him to assist him in the undertaking. Although
Heredia felt that his presence was earnestly required at
Rhodes, and though, from his age, he might Avell have
K 2

244 A HISTORY OF
been excused from forming any such alliance, the fire
of his chivalry burnt as brightly as in the days of his
youth, and casting aside all ideas of prudence, he entered
willingly into the views of the Venetians. The allied
fleets having reached their new destination, disembarked
their forces, who marched directly upon Patras, which
was situated about a mile from the sea-shore. The
town fell at the first assault ; but the castle, which was
fortified with extreme strength, defied all attempts at
an escalade. Nothing short of a regular siege would
suffice for its capture. This was therefore commenced
in regular form, and, through the vigour of Heredia,
pushed on with extreme rapidity. A breach Avas no
sooner established in a practicable part of the walls, than,
weary with the delay Avhich had taken place, and irri
tated at the losses his force had sustained, he at once
directed an assault to be made. Impetuous in his
valour, in spite of his years, he was the first to plant a
ladder on the point of attack, and, by its means, mount
ing on the breach, forced his way into the city, before
he could be followed by any of his knights. The first
person he encountered, upon entering the rampart, was
the Turkish commandant, and between these two chiefs
a desperate struggle ensued, which ended fatally for the
Turk, Heredia cutting off his head, and bearing it away
in triumph. The loss of their leader having dis
heartened the Turks, a very slender resistance was made,
and the completion of the capture of Patras was with
facility accomplished.
Unfortunately, however, for Heredia, he was induced
by the Venetians to extend his conquests still further
in the Morea, and the city of Corinth Avas selected as
the next point of attack. Whilst making a reconnais-

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 245
sance before this place, Avith a very slender escort,
Heredia was surprised by an ambuscade of the enemy,
and, after a most energetic resistance, he was captured
and carried into the city. The Christian chiefs were so
dismayed at this event, that they offered the restoration
of Patras as his ransom. This, however, the Turks
refused, asserting that they should speedily recapture
the town for themselves ; upon which the Christians, in
addition to their former offer, proposed to pay a large
sum of money, and to leave the three Grand-Priors of
England, St. Gilles, and Rome, who were then with the
array, as hostages for its payment. These terms would
haA'e been accepted by the Turks, had not Heredia
peremptorily forbidden it, stating, that it was better that
an old man like himself should perish in slavery, than
that three more youthful and valuable members should
be lost to the Order, He also declined the payment of
any ransom out of the public treasury, asserting that he
had sufficiently enriched his own family, to enable them
to come to his assistance at this hour of his need. No
entreaties could change the indomitable resolution of
the gallant old man, and his companions were reluc
tantly compelled to leave him in the hands of the enemy,
where he remained for a period of three years, until, in
1381, he was ransomed by his family, and thus enabled
to return to Rhodes.*
During his captivity, a schism had sprung up in the
Church, which was destined to have a most pernicious
* Bosio asserts that Heredia was eventually induced to permit of
his ransom being efiTected by the Order, pending the arrival of the
necessary funds from his family in Spain ; and that the three G-rand-
Priors were left as hostages, until the payment was duly completed.
— Bosio, par. ii. lib. iii. anno 1378. R 3

246 A HISTORY OF
effect upon the Order of St. John, At the death of
Gregory, the populace of Rome, fearful lest the cardi
nals then assembled for the election of his successor
should select a pontiff who would re-transfer the seat of
government to Avignon, compelled them, by the most
open and glaring intimidation, to nominate an Italian
prelate, the Neapolitan Archbishop of Bara, This priest
ascended the Papal throne under the title of Urban VI ;
and, in spite of the protests which were made against
the validity of his election, commenced the exercise of
his office. The cardinals had no sooner escaped from
their .thraldom in Rome than they at once re-assembled in
a secure spot, and, invalidating their former appointment
upon the score of intimidation, proceeded to elect Robert,
brother of the Count of Geneva, whom they at once
crowned under the title of Clement VII, The rival
pontiffs fulminated their ecclesiastical thunders, each at
the adherents of his opponent, with the most edifying
vigour, and the schism rapidly spread through the
whole of Europe, Heredia, upon his release from cap-,
tivity, declared at once in favour of Clement, in which
he was joined by the convent at Rhodes and the French
and Spanish languages. The Italians, Germans, and En
glish, on the other hand, joined the party of Urban, and
thus the dispute found its way into the heart of the
Order, As a still further complication of affairs. Pope
Urban, in revenge for Heredia's declaration in favour
of his rival, formally deposed him, and, of his own au
thority, nominated Richard Carracciolo, prior of Capua,
as his successor. It has been a disputed point, how far
Carracciolo can be considered a legitimate Grand-Master,
some writers having recognised his claim to the dignity,
Avhilst others ignore him altogether. As, however, the

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 247
deposition of Heredia, and the election of Carracciolo,
never emanated from the council of the Order, but were
the arbitrary acts of a pontiff whose title was not re
cognised by the majority of the fraternity, there can be
little doubt that his nomination Avas invalid, and that
Heredia still remained the legitimate Grand-Master.
This view of the case is materially strengthened by the
fact, that after the death of Carracciolo, which took
place prior to that of Heredia, Boniface IX., who had
succeeded Urban, refrained from nominating a new
chief, contenting himself by making his near relation,
Boniface of Caramandra, lieutenant of the Order. He
also annulled the appointments conferred by Carracciolo
in order to remove, as far as practicable, all further
cause for schism.
During these disputes and disorders, Heredia found
that it was impossible to enforce due obedience to his
authority from the European commanders. Availing
themselves of the doubtful nature of his position, they
neglected to pay their responsions; and, rejecting all
submission to the decrees of the council, assumed an
independence most fatal to the interests of the fraternity.
Under these circumstances, Heredia was requested to
return to Avignon, to seek at the hands of Pope Clement
the means of reducing the refractory commanders to
submission. Mindful of the bad use which he had once
previously, on a similar occasion, made of his authority,
the council, prior to his departure, extracted from him
a pledge that he would faithfully remit to the public
treasury all the responsions which he might collect ;
and that he might hasten his return to Rhodes, they
decreed that, .during his absence, he should not have the
poAver to nominate to any of the vacant dignities of the
B 4

248 A HISTORY OF
Order. They carried their precautions still further, by
selecting four Knights to accompany him, ostensibly as
an escort, but in reality as a check upon his movements.
Their suspicions were, however, groundless. Heredia,
as Grand-Master, was very different from the young and
ambitious Knight, who had still his fortune to make,
and his way to push in the world. At his request, the
Pope summoned several general councils at Avignon, at
all of which he presided, and where many beneficial
regulations were enacted. By his precept and example,
he succeeded in recalling a great majority of the recu
sants to their dut}^ and obtained for the treasury the
payment of many arrears in the responsions.
As, at this time, both Smyrna and Rhodes were
threatened by an invasion from the Turks, he des
patched to both places, at his own cost, vessels laden
with provisions and munitions of war; and he also
made several foundations in favour of his Order in the
kingdom of Aragon. At length, in the year 1396,
Heredia, boAved with years and the anxieties of his
office, sank into the grave universally regretted and
beloved by all his fraternity. The virtues and good
deeds of his old age had so far obliterated the remi
niscence of what he had been during the earlier portion
of his career, that men forbore to think on all the
wrongs which he had Avrought upon them in former
times, whilst contemplating the advantages and the
prosperity which, during his sway of twenty years, he
had been the means of promoting.
He was, in truth, a strange compound of good and
evil; greedy of wealth, he was yet no miser, scatter
ing with a lavish hand, and with the most magnificent
profusion, those treasures which he had toiled so in-

THE KNWHTS OF MALTA. 249
cessantly to amass. Ambitious in the highest degree,
he scrupled not as to the means he employed in attain
ing power; yet, having gained the highest dignity
which the Order could bestow, he used that power
only for the public weal and the most benevolent
purposes. Indeed, both his ambition and his rapacity
were stimulated more for the benefit of his children
than for himself, since, their position in life once fairly
established, much of the eagerness with which he had
followed the pursuit of both wealth and power seems
to have subsided, and to have left him, in his old age,
leisure to earn for himself the high position which
he undoubtedly occupies as one of the greatest and
wisest of those who had as yet swayed the fortunes
of the Order of St. John.

250 A DISTORT OF

CHAP. IX.
THE THREE DIAntSIONS OE THE OEDEK AND THEIR SUBSEQUENT SDB-
DrVISIONS. — THE PKOOFS FOR ADMISSION INTO THE FIRST CLASS.
 AUTHORITY OF THE &EAND-MASTEE.  COURTS OP I^GARD 
BAILIFFS AND THEIR LIEUTENANTS.  FACILITIES OP THE ORDER
IN ADAPTING ITSELF TO LOCALITIES.  REPORT OP PHILIP DE
THAME. — INCOME AND EXPENDITURE OF A COMMANDERY. MANSION.
GARDEN. COLUMBARIUM. ARABLE, MEADOW, AND PASTURE LANDS.
MESSUAGES AND MILLS. — PROFITS OP STOCK. — IMPROPRIATE
CHURCHES. — VILLAINAGE. — EEDDITUS ASSISUS. — CONFRARIA. —
OUTLAY FOR HOSPITALITY AND MAINTENANCE. — WAGES. — CLOTH
ING  CORRODY. — LAW CHARGES. — REVENUE OP ENGLISH PRO
PERTY.
During the three centuries which had elapsed between
the first establishment of the Order of St. John and
the period at which we have now arrived, many im
portant changes had gradually crept into its organi
sation. It has already been stated that at its first institution
three great divisions of the fraternity were decreed,
by which they were ranked under the heads of Knights,
Chaplains, and Serving Brothers. Of these, the second
class, namely, the chaplains, gradually became sub
divided into tAVO ranks, of which one included what
were termed the conventual chaplains, and the other
priests of obedience. The former were especially at
tached to the convent itself, and performed all the eccle
siastical duties required at the head-quarters of the

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 251
Order, whilst the latter carried on such parochial duties
as were incident to their profession in their numerous
European commanderies. The serving brothers, also,
soon became subdivided into two classes, distinguish
ing those who entered the Order in this rank, with
the hope of winning their spurs under the White
Cross banner, and thus obtaining admission into the
first class, from those who, owing to a want of the ad
vantages of birth, were unable to enter in any other
capacity.* At a general chapter, held in 1357, under
the Grand-Mastership of Roger de Pins, the former of
these two subdivisions was abolished, it being then
decreed that no member of the class of serving brothers
should be eligible for promotion into the Knighthood
of the Order.
As time wore on, and the advantages of birth be
came more and more considered, the regulations for
admission into the first class became gradually in
creased in stringency. The insignia of the belted
Knight were no longer deemed a sufficient guarantee
* Fratrum nostrorum triplex est differentia. Alii enim sunt mi-
lites, alii sacerdotes, alii servientes. Sacerdotum autem et servien-
tium status rursus in duo dividitur : Sacerdotum, in sacerdotes
conventuales, et sacerdotes obedientia. Servientium, in servientes
armorum, videlicet in conventio receptos, — et servientes ofRcii vel
stagii. Qui vero sub gradu railitise ad hoc idoneus et aptus, pro forma
statutorum et consuetudinum, ad professibnem nostri ordinis admitti
postulabit, priusquam habitum suscipiat, et professionem faciat, cin-
gulo militise decoretur necesse est. Si autem ab aliquo principe
Catholice, aut altero, facultatem militiam prjestandi habente, militisE
insignia non fuerit adeptus, a fratre milite ordinis nostri suam profes
sionem recipiente, aut altero fratre milite militia hujusmodi insignia,
secundum consuetudinem militiam prsestandi recipiat : et demum
ordine prsefato ineat professionem. — Consuetudo Ord. Sac, Mil,
Sanet, Johan. Geros.

252 A HISTORY OF
for the introduction of the wearer; it was necessary
that he should adduce proofs of the nobility of his
descent before he could claim admission as a Knight
of justice in the Order of St. John. These proofs were
of four kinds, viz., testimonial, literal, local, and secret.
The testimonial proof was so called from its being the
testimony of four witnesses, themselves gentlemen by
birth, who guaranteed the nobility of the candidate ;
the literal proof was gained from title deeds, or other
legal documents ; the local proof was obtained by com
missioners appointed by the Order, Avhose duty it was
to inform themselves, in the country where the can
didate was born, as to his descent ; and the secret
proof consisted of an inquiry, made by the same com
missioners, without his knowledge. In the various
languages these proofs of nobility differed materially :
four quarters only being requisite in the English, Italian,
Spanish, and Portuguese languages ; eight quarters in
the French ; and in the German, no less than sixteen.
The stringency of these regulations was never after
wards materially relaxed, though in some cases an ex
ception was made for wealthy candidates, whose parentage
was not sufficiently exalted to bear the requisite test.
This innovation, however, only crept in after the estab
lishment of the princely mercantile families who formed
the main stay of the Venetian and Genoese republics.
In addition to this grand division of the Order, we
have seen that, during the Grand-Mastership of Elyon
de Villanova in 1331, the fraternity were separated
into seven languages, and before the expiration of many
years, an eighth was added to the number, viz., that
of Castile and Portugal, which were combined to form
a single language. The only alteration which took

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 253
place in this classification, occurred at a later period
than that of which we have yet treated, when the
Reformation in England having annihilated the status
of that language, it Avas, towards the close of the eight
eenth century joined to Bavaria, and received thence
forth the title of Anglo-Bavarian.
The supreme head of this institution, comprising
amidst its members the natives of almost every country
in Europe, was the Grand-Master. The position of this
dignitary in the scale of potentates varied greatly, ac
cording to the fluctuations in the fortunes of his Order.
During their residence in Palestine, he was possessed of
a very powerful A^oice in the councils of that kingdom,
sharing with the Grand-Masters of the other two Orders
almost the entire direction of affairs. His influence,
hoAvever, in Europe was, during this time, but slight.
It is true that he possessed landed property to a con
siderable extent in every country, which property na
turally gave him a certain amount of influence in its
vicinity ; still, residing as he did at a point so far re
mote from the centre of European politics, that influence
could rarely be exercised in any great degree. When
the expulsion of the Latins from Syria compelled the
fraternity to seek a new home, and led to the establish
ment of the Order in the sovereignty of the island of
Rhodes, their influence in the East gradually diminished
as the prospects of the re-estabhshment of a Latin king-
dora grew more and more hopeless : on the other hand,
the barrier thus set up to the encroachments of the In
fidel on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean, led to
the admission of the Knights of Rhodes as by no means
an unimportant member of the body politic of Europe,
and the Grand-Master, as their head, found the con-

254 A HISTORY OF
sideration with which he was treated rapidly increased.
The subsequent transfer of their government from the
island of Rhodes to that of Malta, led to a still further
augmentation of this influence, and we shall eventually
find him not only arrogating to himself the rank and
privileges of a sovereign prince, but actually in corre
spondence, upon terms nearly of equality, with the
various potentates of Europe.
It is curious to mark how, during these successive
ages, the authority which the Pope exercised over
the actions of the Order became gradually reduced in
extent. Constituted originally as a religious establish
ment, they owed their earliest organisation wholly to
the fiat of his will, and, during the first two centuries of
their existence, appear never to have disputed his autho
rity on any matter in Avhich he may have been pleased
to exercise it. Indeed, it Avas to the fostering approval
of so many successive pontiffs that the Order was in
debted for the first germs of that power into which they
subsequently expanded themselves ; and as by the ex
pression of that approval the successor of St, Peter had
been enabled to obtain for his proteges a support which
carried them triumphantly through all the difficulties of
their position, so there is but little doubt that the exer
cise of the same power, on his part, in an antagonistic
direction, would have been equally successful in crushing
them to the earth. Time, however, brought great
changes in their relative position ; many rude shocks
diminished the extent of his authority, whilst each suc
cessive generation augmented the influence of the mili
tary friars. Step by step they gradually shook off the
dictational yoke of Papal domination, until eventually
his sovereign authority became little more than nominal,

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 255
and the Grand-Master ruled over the island in which
his fraternity were located with the absolute power of a
despot. The rules of the institution, however, do not appear
to have contemplated any autocratic sway on the part
of their chief over the members of his own Order, they
being framed so as to mark the extreme jealousy Avith
Avhich they were intended to limit his authority. Even
after the possession of the island of Malta had esta
blished him in the rank of a sovereign prince, and en
abled him to maintain an ambassador in all the principal
courts of Europe, his powers over the members of his
own fraternity were so liihited as to render his position
often extremely difficult to support. The doctrine laid
down in these regulations appears to have been that the
sovereignty was vested in the Order generally, and not
in the Grand-Master personally: in fact, he was only
esteemed as the first among his equals, or, to quote the
language laid doAvn in the statutes, ^'¦primus inter pares."
The principle of the Habeas Corpus, so justly prized by
Englishmen as the sheet-anchor of their liberties, was
carried out to its fullest extent in these statutes; it
being illegal for the Grand-Master to detain a Knight
in custody for more than twentj'^-four hours AAdthout
bringing him to trial. Nor did the vow of obedience
taken by a candidate at his profession, give his superior
that power over his actions which might have been ex
pected, since he ivas permitted, in case he disapproved
of any order which he received, to appeal to the Court
of Egard, and to persist in his disobedience until its
sentence should have been pronounced.
The Court of Egard was originally established as a
tribunal, before Avhich any dispute arising betAveen mem-

256 A HISTORY OF
bers of the fraternity might be brought to trial or arbi
tration. It had its origin at a very early date in the
annals of the institution, and although, as time wore on
and brought changes into the constitution of the Order,
certain alterations in the composition of the Egard were
also introduced, still it always remained the same in
principle, and, until the last years of their existence, this
court continued to be the principal, nay, the only court
of appeal, before which the Knights sought redress for
their grievances.
It was composed of one member selected out of every
language, whose appointment rested with the languages
themselves, and over whom a president was placed,
nominated by the Grand-Master. On the assembling of
the Egard, either of the disputants had the right of
challenge, the exceptionable person in such a case being
changed for another in the same language. The cause
having been fully gone into, the depositions of the wit
nesses, Avhich were always oral, and not alloAved to be
taken down in Avriting, were summed up. In this state
of the process the parties were ordered to withdraAV, and
the members of the Egard discussed the merits of the
case in closed court, and they then gave in their verdict
by ballot. On the parties being recalled into court, and
before the issue of the balloting was known, they were
asked whether they were willing to abide by the award
of the Egard : if they consented, the state of the ballot
was examined, and whoever had the majority of votes
carried his cause. Should, however, either of the parties
have refused to abide by the award, the votes were
nevertheless still examined and recorded; and a new court
Avas assembled, Avhich was to act as a tribunal of appeal
from the first. This was called the renfort of the Egard,

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 257
and its constitution was precisely similar to that of the
first, with the exception, that the number of members
was doubled. From the decision of this court an appeal
lay with a third, Avhich was called the renfort of the ren
fort, in which there were three members of each language;
the president in all three courts continuing the same.
Should either of the parties still continue dissatisfied, a
court of ultimate appeal was appointed, whose decision
was final. This was called the bailiffs' Egard and was
composed of the conventual bailiffs, or in the absence of
any of their number, of the lieutenants who supplied
their places, over whom the Grand-Master nominated a
president. He Avas in no case, however, to be the same
Avho had acted in that capacity in the three preceding
Egards. The decision of this court being final, the sen
tence was carried into execution immediately after the
promulgation of the verdict.
It would be difficult to conceive a court of equity
more admirably calculated to carry out the purposes for
Avhich it was created than this, combining as it did all
those principles of jurisprudence which modern civilisa
tion has stamped with the seal of its approval. The
doctrine that every man should be tried by his peers
Avas thoroughly recognised in the constitution of the
various courts, and the decision not resting with any
individual member, but gathered from the votes of the
entire court, gave it all the leading features of a trial by
jury. The possibility of any prejudice or favouritism,
arising from a community of language and consequent
national partiality, Avas obviated by the precautions
adopted in the nomination of the members. The right
of appeal was also guaranteed in the most complete
manner ; the constitution of the tribunal assuming in
VOL. I. s

258 A HISTORY OF
each case a broader basis, until there remained not the
shadow of a possibility of an inequitable conclusion.
The proof how admirably these courts performed their
functions lies in that surest of all tests, the test of
experience. For a period of nearly seven centuries the
organisation of the courts of Egard remained unaltered,
and, at the time of the expulsion of the Order from
the island of Malta by the French, at the close of the
eighteenth century, the same principles regulated their
formation as those which were promulgated at their
original establishment.
Immediately subordinate to the Grand-Master in
the governance of the fraternity, Avere the Bailiffs or
Grand-Crosses of the Order. These dignitaries were
of three kinds, viz., the Conventual Bailiffs, the Capi
tular Bailiffs, and the bailiffs " ad honores," or Hon
orary Bailiffs. The first named of these received
the title from the fact of its being their duty to
reside continuously at the convent. There was one
for each of the languages into which the Order Avas
divided, and of these they were severally regarded
as the immediate chiefs and governors. Their election
lay not with the Grand-Master, but with the Knights
of their own language," and the principle of seniority
Avas generally, though not always, recognised in the
selection. The Capitular Bailiffs were not compelled
to reside in the convent, where their attendance was
only required on the occasion of a general chapter;
but, on the contrary, their duties usually led to a
constant residence in their European commanderies.
The grand-priors, who had been nominated in each
language to superintend and control the commanderies
placed within their jurisdiction, were all ex-officio Capi-

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 259
tular Bailiffs. In the English language there Avere two
of these Grand-Crosses, viz., the Grand-Prior of Eng
land and the Grand-Prior of Ireland. The bailiffs " ad
honores "• were selected indiscriminately, either by a
general chapter, or, in its default, by the Grand-Master
in council under the sanction of a bull from the Pope.
This prerogative was eventually found highly incon-
A'^enient, for the princes of Europe were constantly
urging the Grand-Master to its exercise in favour of
those whose interests they were desirous to advance ;
and during the later years of the existence of the Order
the privilege was abandoned. Upon this the Pope took
upon himself to claim the right thus yielded by the
Grand-Master, and carried its abuse to such a length
that great exception was taken to his nominations, and
this gradually led to the almost entire abandonment of
the privilege. The bailiwick of the Eagle was an hono
rary Grand-Cross ahvays reserved for the English lan
guage, thus giving to that nation four grand- crosses, viz.,
the Conventual Bailiff, two Capitular Bailiffs, and one
Honorary Bailiff,
The conventual bailiffs each of them held ex-officio
an important post in the active government of the fra
ternity. Thus the Bailiff of Provence was the Grand-
Commander : this office involved his being president of
the common treasury, comptroller of the accounts,
superintendent of stores, governor of the arsenal, and
master of the ordnance. The Bailiff of Auvergne occu
pied the post of Grand-Marshal : he was the military
head, or commander-in-chief, as well of the naval forces
as of the army ; and the grand standard of the Order,
that white-cross banner so frequently alluded to in
the previous pages, and which had waved over so many

260 A HISTORY OF
a nobly fought field, was entrusted to his charge. The
Bailiff of France was the Grand- Hospitaller, under
whose control came, as the name imports, the direction
of the hospitals and infirmaries of the Order, The
Bailiff of Italy was the Grand- Admiral, who had the
general superintendence, not only of the navy, but also
of the array, in both cases under the supreme direction
of the Grand-Marshal, The Bailiff of Aragon was the
Grand-Conservator : the duties of this officer were
nearly analogous to those of the commissariat in a
modern army. The Bailiff of Germany was . Grand-
Bailiff of the Order, and his jurisdiction was that of
chief engineer. The Bailiff of Castile and Portugal
Avas Grand-Chancellor, the duties of which post were
very similar to those of the Lord-Chancellor in modern
governments. The Bailiff of England was the Turco
polier, or chief of the light cavalry.
It has been a matter of some dispute as to what was
the real signification or derivation of the term Turco
polier, and whom it was intended to designate. The
most probable of the numerous explanations given on
this head appears to be that of Ducange, who states in
his glossary that the word Turcopolier is derived from
TTouXog, the Greek for a child ; the term being thus con
sidered to signify the child of a Turkish parent. They
were in all probability the children of Christian fathers
by Turkish mothers, and having been brought up in the
faith of Christ, they were retained in the pay of the
military Orders ; where, " being lightly armed, clothed
in the Arabic style, inured to the climate, well acquainted
with the country and with the Mussulman mode of war
fare, they were found extremely serviceable as hght
cavalry and skirmishers, and consequently always at-

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 261
tached to the war battalions." * The earliest record now
in existence in which mention is made of an English
Turcopolier is dated in 1328, when an English Knight
named John of Builbrulx was appointed to the office;
and from this date till 1660 the post was invariably
filled by an Englishman,
There appears no satisfactory way of accounting for
the arbitrary attachment of a peculiar office to each
different language, more especially when we consider
that many of these posts would seem to have required
much technical professional knowledge, and should in
common sense have been held by men selected from their
fitness for the appointment. It would certainly have
appeared more in accordance with the dictates of reason
to have selected as chief engineer a man who had made
the science of engineering, as then known and practised,
his peculiar study, rather than to have given the appoint
ment to the Bailiff of Germany, when that dignitary may
perhapshave been ignorant of even the simplest rudiments
of the profession. The only solution to this apparent in
congruity seems to be that it was intended, by thus ap
portioning the various dignities in the gift of the Order
amongst the languages, to prevent the jealousies and
cabals which would inevitably have arisen upon the
occasion of every vacancy. Again, as the Grand-Master,
although not actually possessing the gift of these offices,
from his position, must have been enabled to influence
the selection in a great degree ; and as that influence
would most probably have been exercised in favour of
members of his own language, the result would have
been completely to overthrow the balance of power be-
* Addison's History of the Templars,
s 3

262 A HISTORY OF
tAveen the various nationalities of which the institution
was composed. The simplest method to avoid so unde
sirable a consummation was certainly that which appears
to have been adopted ; and although it must probably
have had the effect of producing an inferior class of
officers, it must have been perfectly successful in main
taining the relative influence of the different languages,
a matter of the most vital importance to the welfare of
the institution. It is also difficult to account for the
selection of the various offices thus attached to the
several languages. The French element having always
had a very preponderating influence in the councils of
the Order, it was but natural that the three leading dig
nities should have been attached to the three languages
into which that nation was divided ; but as regards
the other five nations, no such solution can be given. It
may have been that the offices held by the different lan
guages at the time when their separation and apportion
ment were decreed were from that moment permanently
attached to them. This suggestion is somewhat
strengthened from the fact that it is known that the
office of Turcopolier was given in the year 1328 to an
English Knight; and at the general division in 1331 it
was permanently appropriated to that language. This
may therefore have also been the case with the other
nations. Lieutenants were nominated in each language, in the
same manner as the bailiffs, whose duty it was to act
for tl^e bailiffs, and to occupy their position during their
absence from the convent, or when they were incapaci
tated by sickness from attending to their duties in
person. As every Knight, upon making his profession, took

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 263
the oath of poverty, the reversion of all his worldly
possessions, from that moment, merged into the public
coffers ; the statutes, however, in order to enable him
to make some provision for the ties of. consanguinity,
permitted him to dispose, by will, of one-fifth of his
property, the remainder being carried to the credit of
the public treasury. This source of revenue, which was
very considerable, was termed mortuary ; and iu the
annual balance-sheets of the Order, figured for very
extensive sums. In the case of a Knight not possessing
a sufficient income for his maintenance in a style be
coming his dignity, and not having attained, by his
seniority, to the right of a commandery, he was attached
to the Inn of his language at the convent, or to one of
the commanderies in his native country, Avhere he w.is
clothed, housed, and fed, free of expense to himself. In
some cases a pecuniary allowance was also granted to
him. The property held by the Order in the various coun
tries of Europe was, for the convenience of superinten
dence and government, divided into estates of moderate
extent, denominated commanderies. Several members
were attached to each of these estates in various capa
cities, and at its head was placed a brother, in whose
hands was vested its supreme control, and who bore the
title of Commander. Although a post of great impor
tance and responsibility, and one which was highly
lucrative to its holder, it was not necessarily held by a
member of the first class; a certain number of the
commanderies in every language having been expressly
reserved for the two lower grades. The commander
was bound to exercise the most rigid superintendence of
the estate under his control, and without reference to
s 4

264 A HISTORY OF
its actual revenue at the moment, he was compelled to
remit to the public treasury the amount of responsions
for which his commandery was held liable. Grand
Priors were appointed in each language, under whose
surveillance a certain number of commanderies were
placed, and Avho received the revenues as they became
due, remitting them to the treasury of the Order,
through the medium of receivers, nominated to act in
the capacity of bankers, in the various central cities of
Europe, The Grand-Prior was bound to make a per
sonal visit, at least once in every five years, to each
commandery within his district, and he had full autho
rity to correct all abuses, as also to order such re
newals, alterations, and improvements, as appeared to
him advisable.
It is an iijteresting study to observe how the system
of this institution adapted itself to the varied circum
stances of the localities in which it was situated. In
Palestine there were pilgrims to be tended, and sick to
be nursed ; in addition to which there was a constant
and harassing warfare to be waged, without a respite,
against the Infidel, We find, therefore, that in this part
of the globe, the Hospitaller in his barrack convent was
half monk, half soldier ; at one time clad in the black
mantle of his order, he might be seen seated by the
pallet of the humble and lonely wanderer, and breath
ing into an ear that might perhaps be shortly closed
to all earthly sounds, the consolations of that common
faith which they both professed, and which had drawn
them both to that distant spot, so far from all the ties
of home and kindred. At another moment he might
be seen mounted on his gallant steed, clad in burnished
steel, brandishing his falchion with all the enthusiasm

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 265
of chivalric ardour, and hewing a pathway for himself
and his brave companions through the opposing barrier
of Infidel battalions. The spirit of the times Avas suited
to such transformations ; and the institution, in thus
adapting itself to that spirit, laid the first foundation of
its future grandeur and eminence.
In later years, Avhen the fraternity established them
selves first in the island of Rhodes, and subsequently in
that of Malta, we find great changes rapidly made in
their organisation, habits, and duties of life. The Hos
pitals were still maintained and tended ; but they no
longer constituted an important branch of the Knights'
duties ; there were no harassed and Aveary pilgrims to
sustain and support : the sick had dwindled into the
ordinary casualties incident to the population of a small
island. The Knight was no more seen in his iron
panoply, forming one of the dense array of that squad
ron who, under the banner of the cross, had so often
struck dismay into the ranks of the enemy ; but having
established himself in his island home he commenced to
fortify the stronghold of his power. Battlement after
battlement speedily arose; the skill of engineering
science was exhausted to produce fresh defences, or to
increase those which nature had adapted to his purpose.
The fortresses of Rhodes and Malta reinain an im
perishable record of the energy, the perseverance, and
the skill with which he prosecuted these labours ; until
at length, like the eagle from her eyrie on the inac
cessible height, he looked doAvn upon the blue expanse
of the Mediterranean and called it all his own. In
every corner of that sea the flag of his Order Avaved,
alike the terror of the Infidel and the bulwark of
Christianity. On the waters of this his new kingdom,

266 A HISTORY OF
he trod the deck of his galley, every inch a sailor ; and
few Avho saw him now could recognise in the hardy
mariner of the Levant the warrior monk of Palestine,
whom indeed he resembled only in the indomitable per
severance of his will.
Whilst these changes Avere taking place in the ex
ternal characteristics of the brotherhood, at their con
vent home, first in Syria and afterwards in the Me
diterranean, another sphere was at the same time opened
for the display of their peculiar faculties in adapting
themselves to the varieties of circumstance and locality.
Having been originally formed into a body of Avhich it
had been contemplated that one of the leading features
should be the poverty of its members, they had ended
in acquiring a wealth almost fabulous in its extent.
True, the individual still remained bereft of all distinct
and separate possessions ; and the acquisitions thus
rapidly falling within their eager grasp were the
property of the community ; and it was under cover of
this vague generalisation that they sheltered themselves
from the apparent inconsistency of their vows. Whilst,
however, disclaiming all personal participation in the
benefits of their Avealth, they were never found back
ward in turning it to the greatest possible advantage
to themselves ; and as, in addition to its privileges, that
property had likewise its duties, the due performance of
which was imperatively demanded of its holders, so we
find the Hospitaller, in his European commandery,
abandoning the chivalric aspirations of the Syrian Cru
sader, and the reckless intrepidity of the island seaman,
and appearing under a totally different aspect, as a
lord of the manor, and a wary steward of the property
of his fraternity.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 267
Nor was the duty thus iraposed upon him by any
means an easy task. The mere existence of these bands
of warrior monks, acting under an organisation of their
own, and almost entirely freed from all external control,
was a source of bitter contention, on the part of the
powers that be, in every land where they had gained a
footing. Freed by the control of papal bulls from
most of the restrictions iraposed upon the laity, and yet
only half acknowledging the authority of the 'Church;
holding extensive properties in a land to the crown of
which they paid no just allegiance, and the revenues of
which they forwarded for expenditure in a distant
country, and for foreign objects ; at the same time re
fusing to the Church those tithes which she gleaned
from all her other votaries ; they were equally dreaded
by the king, who scarce knew whether they were to be
regarded as friend or foe, and hated by the genuine
ecclesiastic, who looked upon them as unauthorised en-
croachers, despoiling the Church of that property Avhich
the piety of her sons might otherAvise have dedicated to
her use. It was indeed a difficult matter for the com
mander to steer a middle course, and undeterred by
dangers or threats from the monarch on the one hand,
or the mitred ecclesiastic on the other, to pursue the
even tenor of his Avay, and Avith calm steadiness and
perseverance, to carry on that process of extraction for
Avhich he had been appointed to his office.
In different countries this process must of course
have varied ; still the leading features of the operation
were undoubtedly the same ; and Ave are fortunate in
being enabled to form a very accurate notion of what
this process was, from a report which was drawn up in
1338, by the grand-prior of England, brother Philip de

268 A HISTORY OF
Thame, to the Grand- Master Elyon de Villanova,* The
picture which this document affords of the stewardship
of landed property in England, in the fourteenth cen
tury, is most valuable ; and a careful study of its con
tents will give the reader a very accurate representation
of the position of agriculture in all its various branches
at that period. The document is a record of income
and outlay, and under one or other of these two heads
is classed all the information which it contains.
In each bailiwick or manor the first item mentioned,
under the head of income, is the mansion, with its
kitchen-garden and orchard. The house itself was of
course a source of no positive revenue ; although, in
so far as it precluded the necessity of any outlay on the
score of rent, it must be considered as valuable : the
garden and orchard, however, appear in every instance
to have been more or less productive beyond the con
sumption of the household. The amount varied from a
few shillings up to nearly a pound ; but rarely reached
the latter sum. A considerable source of profit appears
to have been the columbarium or dovecote; which in
some cases was rated to produce as much as thirty shil
lings ; from five shillings to half a mark (six and eight-
pence) being, however, the usual average.
Next on the list stands the rent received from arable
and meadow land ; the former of which varied from two
shillings an acre in Lincoln and Kent, down as low as
* This report, which exists in manuscript in the Record OfiSce at
Malta, has been recently printed by the Camden Society, under the
title of " The Hospitallers in England." The original manuscript is
in perfect preservation ; and although somewhat difficult to decipher,
from its crabbed and contracted Latinity, still the writing is as distinct
and clear as on the day when it was first penned.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA.

269

three halfpence in the counties of Somerset and Norfolk;
Avhilst the meadow land seldom fell to a lower amount
than two shillings the acre, and in the counties of War
wick and Oxford it even reached three shillings. The
value of pasture land was calculated not by the acre,
but by the head of cattle : the average receipt on this
score may be assumed at something like the following
scale : —

An ox or

a horse .

I2d.

A cow

.

24d.

A sheep

.

Id.

A calf

.

6d.

A goat

.

id.

Messuages, mills, and fisheries stand next on the list,
and do not require any special explanation ; their charac
ter being plainly indicated by their name. The profit
of stock afforded a very considerable source of revenue.
This appears to be the return produced by the cattle,
bred and fattened on the home farm. In more than one
entry we find that, through the devastation of enemies,
the damage done by inundations and other causes, the
stock has returned no appreciable profit.
A considerable source of income was derived from
the churches and chapels appropriated to the Order,
whose funds were paid into the public coffers ; vicars
and chaplains being provided at their expense. A glance
at the figures recorded under this head will show that,
as is the case with many parishes in modern times, the
lay impropriators gleaned the lion's share in the substance
originally intended for the support of the church. In
the case of sixteen of these churches, the amount paid
to the credit of the Order was no less than 241?. 6s. 8d, ;

270 A HISTORY OF
Avhilstthe cost of providing chaplains, as defrayed by
them, Avas only 34Z. 10s. Truly this grievous anomaly,
which in the present day finds so many earnest and
eloquent opponents, both within and without the vvalls
of parliament, can at least claim the excuse of antiquity,
Avhen in the early part of the fourteenth century we
already find it existing to so great an extent.
At this period, the system of villainage, or the com
pulsory service of bond-tenants, was universal through
out Europe ; Ave consequently find it figuring very
extensively on the credit side of our balance sheet.
These services were generally rendered either by pay
ments in kind, such as poultry, eggs, corn, &c., or by
the giving of a certain amount of labour for the
benefit of the lord of the manor. As these latter
have almost invariably been entered in the accounts
as money payments, there can be no doubt that a
fixed comrautation had been agreed to between land
lord and tenant, whereby the former secured for himself
a certain and settled revenue, and the latter was pro
tected from the caprice of his lord, who might otherwise
have demanded his services at the very time when his
own crops required his attention. From an entry
Avhich occurs in the manor of Shaldeford, the price at
Avhich this labour was commuted may be gathered, it
being there fixed at twopence per diem, the gross
amount received throughout England on this head
being 184?. 16s. 8i.
We next come to the rent paid by the freeholders ;
the entry for which comes under the heading of redditus
assisus, and in only one case is its nature specified,
where, in the bailiwick of Godsfeld, in the county of
Hampshire, it is distinctly stated to be rent for houses

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 271
in the tAVO towns of Portsmouth and Southampton.
The profits arising from the fees and perquisites paid
to the manor courts have caused an entry in almost
every bailiwick, and in some places amounted to con
siderable sums. An officer, named steward of the
manor, was appointed for these dues.
There yet remains one item of income to be explained,
which was of a different character to the others, and
could only have had an existence under an ecclesiastical
regime. This is a voluntary contribution from the
neighbourhood, and is entered under the name of con
fraria ; the mode of collection is not specified, but it is
presumed that, in a similar manner to that practised at
the present day by many monastic institutions in Roman
Catholic countries, a house to house visitation Avas
annually made, for the purpose of extorting the charity
of the pious. The amount thus scraped together by
the Avealthy mendicants of St, John, from the over
taxed and harassed commons of England, amounts to
very close upon 900?. ; and that this sura was less than
that which had frequently been previously obtained,
may be gathered from several entries where the small
ness of the contributions, under this head, are accounted
for by the poverty of the country and the heavy taxes
payable to the king for the support of his navy,*
* Item ibidem coUecta, que semel fit per annum, in diversis eccle-
siis, que vocatur confraria, et ad voluntatem hominum si velint
aliquid contribuere necne, quia non possunt compelli ad contribuendum,
et solebat valere per annum 27 marcas (18/,), et aliquando plus et
aliquando minus, et nunc in presenti, propter paupertatem communi-
tatis regni et propter diversas oppressiones ut in tallas (sic) contri-
butionibus domino regi pro defensione maris et lanis quas dominus
rex capit per totam terram, non possunt levari nunc nisi et vix 10 li.
(10/.) — Extract from revenue account of Grenham, Hospitallers in
England, 1338.

272 A HISTORY OF
Having thus recapitulated the various items which
stood on the credit side of the balance sheet, it will be
well to enumerate those which constituted the contra
side of the ledger. The first and principal expense,
chargeable upon the funds of the Order, is that for
maintenance of the household. In every bailiwick there
Avas one preceptor, in whose charge rested the entire
estate; and attached to him Avere other brethren who
were called confratres. These, together with the chap
lains, formed the first class in the establishment, and a
table was provided for their separate use. In fact, there
appear to have been three different tables at which,
according to their rank, the members of the establish
ment had their commons ; the first of which was that
already mentioned ; the second, for the free servants
of the Order ; and the third, for the hinds or labourers
kept in their employ. The principal portion of the
provisions consumed at these tables was provided from
the stock of the estate, and consequently cost nothing ;
in addition to this, however, there very generally ap
pears an item, under the head of coquina, for the
supply of meat and fish, over and above that drawn
from the estate. Three different kinds of bread were
supplied for the three different tables, namely, Avhite
bread, ration bread, and black bread. There Avere also
two classes of beer, the melior and the secunda.
In addition to their keep, the preceptor and his con
fratres had a yearly allowance for their dress ; and as
this Avas the same in amount in each preceptory, it may
be assumed that it had been fixed by authority. It
consists of 11. for a robe, 6s. 8d. for a mantle, and 8s.
for other expenses. The members of the household
had each a pecuniary stipend, in addition to their keep,
which amount not only varied greatly for the different

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 273
classes, but also for the same classes in different com
manderies. The highest in rank appears to be the
armiger, Avho in some instances received as much as
a pound a year ; the usual stipend for him, as for
several others, such as the claviger, the ballivus, the
messor, and the coquus, was a mark. The wages of
the lotrix or washerwoman appear to be the smallest,
amounting, in most cases, to the sum of one shilling only,
A very heavy charge is of frequent occurrence in these
accounts, under the head of corrody. This term sig
nifies a claim to commons, or food at the table of the
establishment, and was probably originally granted,
either in repayment of money lent, or as a return for
some favour granted to the Order. The table from
which the corrodary drew his commons, depended upon
his OAvn rank ; those who were of gentle blood being
accommodated at the preceptor's table, and others ac
cording to their position, either with the liberi servientes,
or with the garciones. In some instances, these corro-
daries were in the receipt of very luxurious rations ; as,
for instance, in Clerkenwell, William de Langford is
entitled to his commons at the preceptor's table, when
ever he chooses to dine there, together with comraons
for one chamberlain, at the second table, and for three
inferior servants at the third. But on occasions when
he may choose to deprive the brethren of the honour of
his company, it is expressly stipulated, that he shall
receive, in lieu of his commons, a fixed allowance of
four white loaves, two of ration bread, and two of black
bread ; three flagons of beer of the superior quality, and
two of the second ; one whole dish from the brothers'
table, one from that of the servientes liberi, and one
from that of the garciones; in addition to which, he
VOL, I, T

274 A HISTORY OF
is to receive every night, for his bed-chamber, one flagon of
best beer ; and, during the winter season, four candles
and one faggot of small wood ; also for his stable, half-
a-bushel of oats, hay, litter, a shoe, and nails : all this
allowance being granted for the terra of his natural
life, by virtue of a charter given him by Thomas Lar
cher, who was at that time Grand-Prior of England,
This worthy seems to have distributed pensions and
corrodies, right and left, with the most reckless profu
sion ; so much so, that some years previous to that to
which this report relates, he was superseded, or resigned
his post, to Leonard de Tybertis, prior of Venice, under
whose fostering management the English revenues under
went a rapid improvement.
The entries for repairs of buildings were but few, and
these only for trifling sums ; from which might be in
ferred that it had always been the practice to keep the
various tenements in systematic good repair, and thus
to prevent any heavy annual outlay for their restora
tion. It must, however, be remembered that the money
charges under this heading are over and above the
value of the timber which may have been used, and
which was of course supplied from the estate.
In addition to the expenses incurred in the mainte
nance of the household itself, there was a very heavy
item under the head of hospitality. The rules of the
Order distinctly laid down the obligation, on the part
of its members, to exercise this virtue freely ; and it
seems very clear, on studying these accounts, that those
rules were most liberally and rigidly complied with. In
fact, the commanderies must have partaken very much
of the character of houses of public entertainment, where
both rich and poor might feel certain of a hospitable

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 275
reception, and a liberal entertainment for man and
beast. Of course there was no charge made for this
service, still it is more than probable that the item of
confraria, which has been already alluded to, had its
proportions considerably swelled by the donations of
such among the better class of travellers as had expe
rienced the kindness of the fraternity. How far this
claim to reception and maintenance on the part of the
wayfarer may have extended, it is difficult to deter
mine; but there must have been a limit somewhere,
since, unless the fourteenth century differed widely
from the nineteenth, a free and unrestricted system of
open- housekeeping would have entailed the maintenance
of all the idle vagabonds in the country. The Anglo-
Saxon law appears to have limited the claim, in the
case of monasteries, to three days, and it is highly pro
bable that the same margin was allowed at the com
manderies. It may also be assumed, Avithout much fear
of error, that in the case of the humbler members of
society, a good day's work on the farm of the establish
ment was extorted as a return for the day's keep ; thus
deterring the hardened idler from seeking a shelter, the
sweets of Avhich could only be earned by the SAveat of
his brow.
This wholesale system of hospitality did not owe its
adoption entirely to a pious motive; there were many
sagacious reasons of policy which materially encouraged
the practice. It must be remembered, that in those
days newspapers were among the inventions which still
lay undiscovered in the womb of futurity. The majority
of men travelled but little, and information was slow in
spreading from one point to another ; it may readily be
conceived, therefore, what an engine for the collection
T 2

276 A HISTORY OF
and distribution of important intelligence the table of
the preceptor must have become. The Grand-Prior, in
his head-quarters at Clerkenwell, might be regarded
very much in the light of the editor of a metropohtan
journal, receiving constant despatches from his corre
spondents at their district commanderies containing a
digest of all the gossip, both local and general, which
may have enlivened the jovial meals of the preceding
week. This information could of course be collated and
compared with that arriving from other quarters, so
that a system of the earliest and most correct intel
ligence was always at the command of the Prior, which
he might, if necessarj', turn to the most valuable uses.
How often may we not conceive him in a position to
afford the most timely notice, even to the king in coun
cil, of some projected political movement hatched amidst
the solitary fastnesses of the North, or the secluded glens
of the West ; notice for which it may safely be assumed
that a quid pro quo was demanded, in the shape either of
a direct donation, or an equally valuable exemption from
some of the numerous burdens with which the less for
tunate laity were oppressed. The Order were well
aware of the advantages which their organisation gave
them on this head, and were not slow to avail them
selves of it. Although the records of their expenditure
are most careful in exhibiting, in an ostentatious array
of figures, the expenses which they incurred by their
open-handed relief of wayfarers, without recording on
the other side the innumerable advantages, pecuniary
and otherwise, which they were enabled to glean from
the practice, still the intelligent reader may with facility
perform that calculation for himself; and it is to be
feared that on striking a balance of the two sides, a very

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 277
trifling amount will remain to be carried over to the
credit of charity.
There are, however, sundry entries in these accounts
which show that this exercise of hospitality was not
without its inconveniences. Although the ruling powers
of the fraternity were not likely to grudge a heavy bill
incurred in supplying the good things of this life to
their numerous provincial guests, provided, on the other
hand, that the commander was enabled to forward in
formation, gleaned at his table, of a value commensurate
with the outlay; yet cases might and did constantly
occur where the expenditure may have been serious, and
the results disproportionately small. A few items of
local gossip or provincial scandal would be dearly pur
chased at the expense of many a good quarter of wheat
and malting barley; and under such circumstances it
was but natural that an exculpatory clause should ac
company the obnoxious item, to explain away its un
welcome appearance.
Rank has its duties as well as its privileges ; and it
Avas frequently necessary for the Commander, whose
position gave him considerable standing in the county
where he resided, to receive at his table those of the
laity who considered themselves his equals, and who
chanced to reside near him ; and this has, in more than
one case, been quoted as an excuse for the extent of the
housekeeping accounts. Thus, for instance, we find at
Hampton that the Duke of Cornwall is made to bear
the blame of the heavy bread and beer bill which the
fraternity had contracted*: and in the Welsh com
manderies the trampers became the scapegoat; who, to
* Una cum supervenientibus quia dux Corn ubisejuxta moratur. —
Extract from reprise of Hampton Manor, Hospitallers in England.
T 3

278 A HISTORY OF
quote theexpressive language of the accountant, "multum
confluunt de die in diem ; et sunt magni devastatores, et
sunt imponderosi."* The accounts of Clerkenwell, the
head-quarter station of the Order in England, show that
its proximity to London rendered it peculiarly liable to
this expense. The king had the legal right, not only of
dining at the Prior's table whenever he might choose
to honour that personage with a visit, but also of sending
all such members of his household and court as he might
find it inconvenient to provide for elsewhere, to enjoy
the hospitality of the brethren. It is not, therefore,
surprising that we find among the housekeeping expenses
of this establishment, 430 quarters of wheat, at 5s. the
quarter, amounting to 107?. 10s. ; also of barley-malt
413 quarters, which, at 4s. the quarter, amounted to
82?, 12s. ; also of dragget-malt 60 quarters, which, at
3s. the quarter, amounted to 9?. ; also of oat-malt 225
quarters, amounting, at 2s. the quarter, to 22?, 10s, ; the
three latter items being all consumed in the manufacture
of different qualities of the national beverage : in ad
dition to which, there were 300 quarters of oats, at
Is. 6d., amounting to 22?, 10s,, for the consumption of
the stable establishment, and a lump sum, which may
not inaptly be termed the kitchen bill, of no less a figure
than 121?, 6s, 8c?, : and all this without including many
minor items, for meal porridge, pease, candles, &c. It
was indeed a long price which the community had to
pay for the presence and countenance of the monarch
and his attending satellites ; yet doubtless they received
an ample consideration for the same, which enabled them

* Extract from reprise of Slebech, Pembrokeshire, Hospitallers in
England.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 279
to bear the burden meekly, and not to succumb under
its weight.
Of all the entries on the expense side of the ledger,
that which reflects the greatest disgrace on our an
cestors, and which we can scarcely now peruse Avithout
blushing at the scandalous iniquity of their conduct, is
the entry for law charges. Many of these are simple
and innocent enough; as, for instance, the salaries
of their own law officers, and the fees of counsel, which
appear to have been usually forty shillings a-year, with
robes ; but, in addition to these, we find numerous
others, which proved the barefaced venality of our courts
of justice in those days ; almost all the leading judges
being in the pay of the Order,
Thus, in the Exchequer, we find the Chief Baron, Sir
Robert de Sadyngton, Baron William de Everden, and
Robert de Scarburgh, William de Stoneve the engrosser,
and the two reraerabrancers, Gervase de Willesford
and William de Broklesby, each in the receipt of two
pounds a year, whilst the opponitor, Roger de Gil-
desburgh, is down for an annual salary of five pounds.
In the Court of Common Bench, the Chief Justice, Sir
William de Herle, receives ten pounds a year ; Judge
William de Shareshull, five pounds: Judges Richard
de Aldeburgh, and John de Shardelowe, two pounds
each. In the King's Bench, the Chief Justice, Geoffrey
de Scrope, was in the receipt of two pounds, not to
mention a couple of estates at Huntingdon and Penhull,
which, it is much to be feared, were gained by hira in a
most unrighteous manner. His brother Justice, Richard
de Willoughby, figures on the list for 3?, 6s, Sd. ; whilst
in the Court of Chancery, four of the clerks seem to have
pocketed an annual fee of forty shillings each. All these
T 4

280 A HISTORY OF
entries are expressly stated to be payments made to the
legal authorities, for the quiet possession of the lands
which had been transferred to the Hospitallers, from
the recently defunct Order of the Temple.
Before leaving this valuable document, it may be well
to mention that the brothers of the Order at this time
residing in England amounted to 119, in addition to
the three donats and eighty corrodaries ; of these, thirty-
four were Knights of justice, fourteen of that number
being preceptors ; forty-eight were serving brothers, of
whom sixteen were preceptors, and thirty-four were
chaplains, of whom seven were preceptors. The annexed
table shows the number and names of the Commanderies,
into Avhich the Order had divided their property in
England and Wales, together with the amounts of their
gross revenues, their expenditure, and the balance re
maining for payment into the treasury : —

County.

Commandery.

Gross Income.

Expenditure.

Balance for
Treasury.

Remarks.

£ s.

</.

£

s. d.

£ s. d.

. Berkshire

Grenham, including Shaldeford .

76 13

6

34

8 8

42 4 10

Watshire
Anesty 
93 0
0
39
18 8
53 1 4
Dorsetshire .
Mayne, including Kyngeston and Waye
96 2
10
42
5 4
53 4 2
An error in this balance of
1 mark (13s. id.y
DeTonsWre .
Bothemescomb, including Coue .
50 11
0
22
3 2
28 7 10
Cornwall
Trebyghen ......
75 11
4
20
10 8
55 0 8
Somerset
Bucklands, including Halse .
124 10
4
83
9 8
41 0 8
Hampshire .
Godesfield, including Badeslee and Run-
ham
Palyng 
66 13
11
30
3 8
36 10 3
Sussex ,
78 11
3
34
0 0
44 11 3
Oxford
Clanefeld ....
60 13
4
34
9 0
26 4 4
Gloucestershire
Quenyngton 
179 8
4
57
6 9
122 1 7
Herefordshire
Dynemoor, including Sutton, Rolston and
Wormebrigge
182 7
3
82
1 4
100 5 11
Pembrokeshire
Slebech 
307 I
10
141
2 7
172 12 7
An error of 10 marks
(6i IBs. id.).
North Wales
Halstan, including Dongewal,
157 5
10
79
7 0
77 18 10
Warwickshire
Grafton 
78 15
2
29
15 1
49 0 0
Derbyshire .
Yeveley 
95 6
0
63
6 0
32 0 0
Yorkshire
Newland 
56 5
4
30
6 0
25 19 4
Ditto .
Mount St. John 
58 8
4
24
16 0
33 12 4
Ditto .
Beverley 
83 17
6
43
17 6
40 0 0
Northumberland .
Chibourn 
23 18
8
17
13 4
6 6 8
The depredations of the
Scotch are alleged as a rea
son for the smallness of
the revenue of this estate.
County.

Nottinghamshire ,
Lincolnshire , ,
Ditto ,
LeicestershireNorthamptonshire .
Buckinghamshire .
BedfordshireDitto .
Cambridgeshire .
Ditto .
Norfolk Suffolk
Essex .
Ditto .
Kent .
Ditto .

Middlesex .

Commandery.

Oscington ......
Maltby 
Skirbeck 
Dalby, including Beaumont .
Dyngley 
Hoggeshawe 
Melcheburn 
Hardwyck, including Clifton and Pelyng
Shenegeye, including Wendeye, Ar-
nyngton, and Cranden
Chippenham 
Kerbrok 
Batesford, including Codenham and
Melles
Mapeltrestede 
Staundon 
Swenefeld 
Sutton-atte-Hone 
Clerkenwell 

Gross Income.

£ s. d.
95 0 8
116 6 8
84 11 8
128 15 8
79 4 0
74 14 10
106 2 4
69 3 5
187 12 8
110 16 9
192 2 4
93 10 8

77 16
34 15
82 4

40 0 0

400 0 0

Expenditure.

£
77

s. d.
7 0
50 6 6
79 5 0
66 8 3
37 0 4
28 16 4
49 17 10
15 10 0
60 18 8

94 16
71 12

33 3 10

37 16
23 0
52 18

421 12 4

Balance for
Treasury.

£
17 13
66 10
5 6
62 7
42 3
41 18
56 4
53 12
126 14

s. d.

16 0 3
120 9 8
60 6 10
40 0 0
10 18 8
29 6 0
40 0 0

Remarks.

An error of 10 shillings.
An error of 6 marks (or 4/.)
An error of 1 shilling.

An error of 16i. 8rf.
This manor appears to have
been rented to John of
Pulteney for a fixed sum.
The expenses of Clerkenwell
having exceeded the re
ceipts by 2U. 12s. 4d, the
amount is charged against
the general treasury.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 283
In addition to the above commanderies, the Order
possessed in England smaller estates, called camerce, or
chambers. These were not of suflScient importance for
the appointment of commanders, and were either ad
ministered by bailiffs or were farmed out. Their pro
ceeds went directly to the support of the chief seat of
the Order, and did not maintain any of the fraternity
within their own limits. Annexed is a table (page 284)
showing their names, counties, and revenues.
The property which the Order possessed in Scot
land appears to have realised nothing in 1338, OAving
to the constant wars which were devastating the
country.* They were estimated in former years to
realise 133?. 6s, Sd.
In addition to the property enumerated above, the
fraternity of the Hospital stood possessed of sundry
manors, formerly the property of the Templars, They
are enumerated at pages 285 — 287,
The same remark holds good with regard to the
Temple lands in Scotland, as was quoted for the Hospital
property, no revenue being obtainable therefrom on
account of the war,
* Terre et tenementa, redditus et servicia, ecclesie appropriate, et
omnes possessiones hospitalis in Scocia sunt destructa combusta per
fortem guerram ibidem per multos annos continuatam, unde nil hiis
diebus potest levari, Solebat, tamen, tempore pacis, reddere per
annum cc marcas.

CA3IEEJa

01

THE HOSPITAL.

County.

Commandery.

Gross Inco

me. d.

Expenditure.

Balance for
Treasury.

Remarks.

£ s.
£ s.
d.
£ s. d.
Dorsetshire .
Chiltecomb, including Tolre
24 5
4
4 5
4
20 0 0
Hampshire .
Wodecot ....
13 6
8
nil.
13 6 8
Farmed out.
Leicestershire
Swyneford, including
Shadewell .
27 2
6
7 2
8
20 0 0
Et vix possunt levari hiis diebus.
Derbyshire .
Baruwe ....
36 2
0
12 15
4
23 6 8
Lancashire .
Wolueton
13 6
8
nil.
13 6 8
Farmed out.
Ditto .
Le Stede ....
6 13
4
nil.
6 18 4
Farmed out.
Yorkshire
Coppegrave
13 6
8
nil.
nil.
Held for life by William de Hotham.
Ditto .
Huntyndon
6 13
4
nil.
nil.
Given for his life to Chief Justice Jeoffrey
de Scrope.
Ditto .
Steynton
6 7
8
1 13
4
4 13 4
An error of 1 shilling.
Nottinghamshire .
Wynkebonrne, including
Deynilthorp .
62 8
5
22 8
5
40 0 0
Lincolnshire .
Horkestouwe & Botnesford
41 6
11
nil.
nil.
Given for his life to Sir Robert Silkeston.
Northamptonshire .
Blacolneslee .
33 6
8
nil.
33 6 8
Farmed out.
Ditto .
Gildisburgh .
53 6
8
nil.
53 6 8
Farmed out.
Ditto ,
Hetherington .
53 2
0
13 15
4
39 6 8
Bedfordshire .
Eton ....
77 12
4
20 5
8
57 6 8
Cambridgeshire .
Asshelee
23 6
8
4 13
4
18 13 4
¦'
Suffolk .
Preston ....
13 6
8
nil.
13 6 8
Farmed out.
Essex .
Saunford ....
5 0
0
nH.
5 0 0
Farmed out.
Ditto .
Stilbyng and Chauree
53 6
8
nil.
53 6 8
Farmed out.
Ditto .
Brokesbourn ,
20 0
0
16 0
0
4 0 0
The 16/. is a pension to Edward St. John,
and the balance is credited in the
Clerkenwell accounts.
Kent .
Stallesfed and Ore .
26 13
4
nil.
26 13 4
Farmed out.
Middlesex .
Herefeld ....
26 13
4
nil.
nil.
Granted for life to Brother William Brex.
Buckinghamshire .
Wydende
6 13
4
nil.
6 13 4
Warwick
Ruton on Donnesmor
not stated
nil.
nil.
Granted for life to Henry de la Dale.
Bedfordshire .
ChikeweU
13 6
8
nil.
nil.
Granted for life to Walter Launcelyn.
Middlesex .
Newynton
10 0
0
niL
nU.
Granted for life to the Bishop of Lincoln.
Ditto .
Hampton
83 13
10
30 7
2
53 6 8
PEOPBHTY TRANSFERRED FROM THJbl TEMPLARS.

County.

Commandery.

Gross Income.

Expenditure.

Balance for
Treasury.

Remarks.

£ ». d.

£ s. d.

£ s. d.

Northumberland .
Thornton
16' 5 0
7 5 0
9 0 0
Tamen nil in presenti propter guerram
Scocie.
Ditto .
Penhull ....
Not stated
nil.
nil.
Given for life to Chief - Justice Sir
Geoffrey Scrope.
Yorkshire .
Couton ....
83 6 8
9 1 8
74 5 0
Ditto .
Rybstayn and Wederby .
167 11 8
66 9 10
101 1 10
Ditto .
Wythelee
13 6 8
nil.
13 6 8
Farmed out.
Ditto .
Etton ....
13 11 2
Not stated.
Not stated.
This property is not farmed out ; but nei
ther the expenses or balance are stated.
Ditto .
Ffoukebrigg ,
18 4 0
7 6 8
10 17 4
Ditto ,
Aluerthorp
19 17 8
1 13 4
18 4 4
Ditto
Westerdal
37 16 0
6 6 8
31 9 4
Ditto .
Conpmanthorp
10 0 0
nil.
10 0 0
Farmed out for life to Walter de
Fauconberg.
Ditto .
Kelyngton
20 0 0
nil.
nil.
Granted to Sir Robert Silkeston till 1340.
Lincolnshire .
Wilughton, includingGayr
nesburg,Golkesby,Calke-well, Thorp in Warectis,
Ingham,Cabourne,Lym-berg, Saxeby, Mere,
Wadyngton,. Estirkele,
Claxby,Temlby,Walcote
284 3 5
82 10 8
201 12 8
Ditto .
Upton ....
not stated.
nil.
nil.
Granted away.
Ditto .
Keteby and Bellewode
not stated.
nil.
nil.
Granted for the joint lives of John, Earl
of Warrenne, and his wife.
Ditto .
Hareby ....
16 0 0
nil.
nil.
Granted to Sir Robert Silkeston for life.
Ditto .
Bruere, including Rouston
and North Kirkeby
177 7 8
84 0 2
93 7 6
Ditto .
Caldecot ....
2 0 0
nil.
nil.
Granted to Robert of Sibshorp for his life.
Ditto .
Eycle ....
122 11 10
55 18 4
66 13 4
County.

Commandery.

Gross Income.

Expenditure.

Balance for
Treasury.

Remarks.

£ s. d.

£ s. d.

£ s.

d.

Lincolnshire .

Aslakeby

40 0 0

nil.

nil.

Granted to Henry ^e la Dale until 1340.
Ditto .
Suth Wyme .
26 13 4
nil.
nil.
Granted to Richard de Ty for his life.
Ditto .
Donyngton
10 0 0
nil.
nil.
Granted for life to Randolph de Biry.
Nottinghamshire .
Marnham
20 0 0
nil.
nil.
Granted to Sir Robert of Silkeston till 1340.
Ditto .
Ifauflour .
4 13 4
nil.
4 13
4
Granted to Thomas Sibthorp for his life.
Rutlandshire
Stretton .
8 0 0
nil.
8 0
0
Huntingdonshire .
Wassinglee
not stated
nil.
nil.
Granted for life to Sir Simon de Drayton.
Buckinghamshire .
Radeuach
6 13 4
nil.
6 13
4
Cambridgeshire .
Wilbergham .
98 1 8
32 17 0
65 4
8
Ditto .
Dokesworth
16 11 0
8 8 4
8 2
8
Norfolk
Togrynd
6 16 0
15 11
6 0
1
Suffolk .
Gyselingham .
5 0
nil.
5
0
Granted for life to John Westelee.
Cambridgeshire .
Wendeye
16 13 4
nil.
16 13
4
Essex .
Cressing and Wytha
m .
133 12 4
40 5 8
93 6
8
Ditto .
Sutton .
16 13 4
nil.
nil.
Held for life by William de Langeford.
Ditto .
Swonton .
4 4 0
nil.
4 4
0
Held for life by Simon Croyser.
Ditto .
Sharnebrock .
13 4
nil.
13
4
Granted for life to Sir John Wolaston
and his wife.
Bedfordshire .
Melbrock
not stated •
nil.
nil.
Held for life by William de Staundon.
Ditto .
Stokton .
16 13 4
nil.
16 13
4
Farmed out.
Ditto .
Langeford
16 13 4
nil.
16 13
4
Hertfordshire
Langenok
25 6 8
not stated
19 0
0
Ditto .
Dyneslee .
18 0 0
nil.
18 0
0
Middlesex .
Lyllestou .
10 0 0
nil.
nil.
Held for life by William de Clyf.
Kent .
Waltham
2 0 0
nil.
nU.
Held for life by Walter Godchep.
Ditto .
Ewell .
26 13 4
nil.
26 13
4
Held for life by Hamond Godchep.
Ditto ,
Dertford
not stated
nil.
nil.
Held for life by Sir Randolph Cobham.
Surrey ,
Sutwerk .
16 13 4
nil.
nil.
Held for life by Hauwice de Sevalclive.
Sussex ,
Compton
2 13 4
nil.
2 13
4
Let for life to Sir Andrew de Medstede.
Ditto .
Shepelee .
17 17 6
10 16 8
16 16
4
Leicestershire

Rothelee . . , .

87

7 0

20 13 8

66 13

4

Ditto .

Melton Mowbray

6

13 4

nil.

6 13

4

Farmed by Walter Prest.

Ditto .

Stonnesby

6

13 4

nil.

6 13

4

Let for Ufe to William de Whiteby,

Warwickshire

Ballessall, including Fle-
chamstede andChelidcote

127

2 6

74 19 0

52 3

6

Ditto ,

Warrewyok

18

3 4

12 6 8

5 17

0

Pembrokeshire

Templetou

6

3 3

nU.

nil

Held for life by Sir Robert de Hungerford,
Somersetshke
Templecoumbe, including
Wileton.Westcombeland,Lopene, Lode, BristoU,
Worle,Hidon,Templeton,and Cleyhangre
106
13 0
66 13 0
40 0
0
Wiltshire
Roucle, including Loke-
20
7 7
7 7 7
13 0
0
Somersetshire
rugge
Chiryton ....
13
15 1
5 0 0
8 15
1
Oxfordshire ,
Saunford, with Temple-
coulee, Meriton, Sibford,
Horspath, Overhorspath,
and Littlemor
141
5 4
59 17 7
81 7
9
Ditto ,
Bradewell
15
16 8
nil.
15 16
8
Ditto .
Werpesgrave cumEsyndon
18
0 0
nil.
18 0
0
Rented for life by Sir John Stonor,
Gloucestershire
Templegutyng
6
13 4
nil.
nil.
Occupied by Master Pancinm.
Ditto .
Broughton
5
0 0
nil.
5 0
0
Let for life to Roger de Belu.
Worcestershire
Lawern ....
5
0 0
nil.
5 0
0
Let for life to Sir John Hampton.
Warwickshire
Wolueye
5
0 0
nU.
5 0
0
Farmed out.
Ditto .
Herberbary
6
4 0
nil.
nil.
Held for Ufe by Su: Roger HUlary.
Ditto .
Stodleye ....
15 0
nil.
15
0
Farmed out.
Herefordshire
Uppeledene
44
4 8
15 12 0
28 6
0
An error of J mark (6s. 8d.).
Monmouthshire .
Garewy, including Hare-
woode, Lamadock, Kei-
meys, and Sanctus Wol-
stanus
87
0 4
46 17 0
40 3
4
Shropshire .
Staunton, vrith Prene
32
7 1
8 9 10
23 17
3
Staffordshire .
Keel ....
13
6 8
13 6 8
nil.
288 A HISTORY OF
It will be seen by the above hst that the fraternity
were in the enjoyment of a very extensive addition to
their income, in England at all events, owing to the de
struction of the Templars ; and since, besides the revenue
actually receivable in 1338, there were a large number of
estates, as seen above, held for life by dilFerent individuals
either rent free or at a very low rate, this property might
be considered as decidedly of an improving character.
It must not, however, be assumed that the Hospitallers
were equally fortunate with their Templar estates in
other countries. Nowhere did the Templars hold so
much landed estate as in England ; nor was the transfer
of their property to the Hospitallers by any means so
honestly carried out in any other land. Even in England,
however, very extensive estates, formerly in the posses
sion of the Templars, fell at their extinction into secu
lar hands ; and although the report of Brother Thame
was compiled twenty years after that event, he appears
to have been still unable to obtain their restoration.
They are enumerated at the end of his report in a tone
of fond regret, specifying the names of the spoilers who
were still standing between the Hospital and her own.
They are as follow : — Value.
The manor of Strode . . £50 0 0 held by the Countess of Pembroke.
„ Deneye . . £66 13 4 held by the same lady.
„ Hurst and Neusom £120 0 0 held by the same lady.
„ Ffaxflete cum Cane £100 0 0 held by Randolph Nevill
A water-mill at York . . £13 6 8 held by the king.
The manor of Carleton . . £13 6 8 held by Hugh le Despencer.
„ Normantori in the
Vale . . £10 0 0 held by Lord de Roos.
„ Lydleye . . £66 13 4 held by the Earl of Arundel.
„ Penkerne . £20 0 0 held by the Earl of Gloucester.
„ Gutyng and Brade
well . . £133 6 8 held by Master Pancium.
„ Bristelesham . £66 13 4 held by the Earl of Salisbury.
„ Bulstrode . £50 0 0 held by the Abbess of Bumham.
„ Sadelescombe . £66 13 4 held by Earl Warrenne.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 289
The total amount credited to the general treasury of
England in 1338, after deducting local expenditure, was
3826?, 4s. 6c?, The expenditure of the general treasury
in pensions, bribes, &c., was 1389?, 25, 4^d. ; leaving a
balance for the payment of responsions of 2304?. 15s, 'id.
The amount for which England was liable to the treasury
of Rhodes was 2280?. ; being the one third part of the
gross receipts of the priory, amounting to 6839?. 9s. ^d.,
and it will be seen that her actual income fell a trifle
above that sum ; the balance of course came into the
hands of the Grand-Prior.
The income of this dignitary, as charged in the accounts,
is 1?, per diem. For a period of 121 days this charge
is made in the several commanderies, two or three days
in each, under the head of the Grand-Prior's visitation.
For the remainder of the year it is debited in a lump
sum, as one of the expenses of the general treasury.
He also received an allowance of 93?, 6s, d)d. for robes
for himself and household.
Such was the mode of life carried on in the comman
deries of the English language during the first half of
the fourteenth century ; and it will not be too much to
assume, that in other countries a very similar system
was pursued. Certain differences must of course have
been made to suit the habits and character of the people
amongst whom they chanced to be located. Although
the liberty of the English peasant in those days was
hardly worthy of bearing the name, when compared
with that which he enjoys at the present time, still it
placed him in a position far superior to that of his con
tinental brother ; and doubtless the commander in a
French or Spanish manor, ruled over the population
which fell within the limits of his sway, with an auto-
VOL. I. u

290 A HISTORY OF
cratic despotism which was denied to him in England,
We may also assume that in those two languages the
accounts would not have exhibited so large an expendi
ture in the item of beer, nor did they probably return
so large a revenue as the superior wealth of England en
abled the Hospitallers to extract from its shores. Still,
allowing for these and other differences, it cannot be de
nied that this report from brother Philip de Thame
affords a very excellent clue to the general mode of
governance adopted by the Hospital in the management
of its foreign property.

THE KNIGHTS OP MALTA. 291

CHAP, X,
ELECTION or PHILIBERT DE NAILLAC,  BATTLE OF NICOPOLIS. 
PURCHASE OF THE MOREA.  ITS SUBSEQUENT RESTORATION. 
TIMOUR THE TARTAR  HIS OVERTHROW OF BAJAZET.  LOSS OP
SMYRNA. — ERECTION OP THE FORTRESS OP ST. PETER'S.  TREATY
WITH THE SULTAN OF EGYPT. — CONCLUSION OF THE PAPAL
SCHISM AND REUNION OF THE ORDER  DEATH OF NAILLAC AND
SUCCESSION OP FLUVIAN.  INVASION OF CYPRUS.  DEATH OF
FLUVIAN.  ELECTION OF LASTIC.  DESCENT ON RHODES IN 1444. 
REFORMS IN THE ORDER.  FALL OP CONSTANTINOPLE.  ELECTION
OF JAMES DE MILLY  DISPUTES AMIDST THE FRATERNITY.  SUC
CESSION OF RAYMOND ZACOSTA.  ESTABLISHMENT OF AN EIGHTH
LANGUAGE.  ERECTION OF FORT NICHOLAS.  DEPARTURE OP
ZACOSTA FOR ROME.  HIS DEATH THERE.  SUCCEEDED BY ORSINI.
 FALL OP NEGROPONT.  PREPARATIONS FOR DEFENCE AT RHODES.
 DEATH OP ORSINI AND NOMINATION OF PETER OF AUBUSSON.
The vacancy caused by the death of Heredia occurred
at a time when not only was the Order distracted by the
schism still raging in Europe, but at the same time
threatened by a new and redoubtable foe in the East,
Under these circumstances it was necessary they should
be extremely cautious in their selection of a successor.
Philibert of Naillac, Grand-Prior of Aquitaine, was the
Knight who enlisted in his favour the majority of suf
frages ; and subsequent events fully bore out the wisdom
of the choice. He had no sooner assumed the duties of
government than he was called upon to join in a general
European Crusade against the foe already alluded to,
u 2

292 A HISTORY OF
Bajazet,* one of the descendants and successors of
Othman, having overcome in succession most of the
petty sovereigns by whom he was surrounded, and his
ambition increasing in proportion to his success, was
threatening an irruption into Hungary, from whence he
openly boasted that he would push his way into Italy,
where, after having planted his standard on the capitol
of Rome, he would convert the altar of St. Peter into a
manger for his horse. The Pope, terrified at these
menaces, which the power of Bajazet's army and the
feebleness of the eastern portion of Europe rendered by
no means impossible of execution, invoked the aid of
Europe to crush the proud dream of the aspiring chief
tain. In obedience to his call a league was formed ;
comprising Charles VI., king of France ; Philip the
Bold, duke of Burgundy ; the republic of Venice ; the
Greek emperor ; the Knights of Rhodes, and the chiefs
of sundry other petty principalities in the East.
This expedition, of which the principal bulk was
French, marched through Germany, Bavaria, and Austria,
into Hungary ; where they were joined by Naillac and a
large body of his Knights. The Count of Nevers, eldest
son of the duke of Burgundy, commanded the French
contingent ; whilst Sigismond, king of Hungary, placed
himself at the head of the Hospitallers, with whose worth
he was well acquainted. The succour which had arrived
was so extensive that throughout the Christian array
an overweening confidence and fatal sense of security
* The extended empire which Bajazet established over the West
of Asia, had had its foundation laid by his father, Mourad I., who,
throughout his reign continued to increase the limits of his sway, — a
policy which was pursued after his death by Bajazet with unremit
ting vigour.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 293
prevailed. It was deemed impossible that Bajazet, with
his wild hordes of Infidels, could for one moment attempt
to withstand the proud array of chivalry advancing to
overwhelm him ; and the march of the army more re
sembled a triumphal progress, than a movement in the
face of a bold and wary foe.
During this time Bajazet had been engaged in the
blockade of Constantinople, a city which he was earnestly
desirous to bring under his domination, but which he
did not feel himself at that moment in a position to at
tack. He remained quietly with his army, without
attempting to oppose any check to the advance of the
Christians ; contenting himself by watching the general
course of events, and studiously concealing all knowledge
of his whereabouts. The allies, having passed the
Danube, entered Bulgaria 100,000 strong, of whom fully
one half were cavalry,
Their first operation was to undertake the siege of
Nicopolis, a powerful fortress, strongly garrisoned, and
commanded by one of Bajazet's most experienced leaders.
The defence was conducted with the utmost skill and
bravery, every inch of ground being warmly contested,
and the Christians obtaining but very slender advantage
in return for the expenditure of a vast amount of blood.
Their camp was at this time the scene of the most reck
less debauchery : the officers passing their days in the
arms of the courtesans who accompanied the army in
vast multitudes ; and the soldiers revelling in intoxica
tion to the utter subversion of all military -discipline.
"Meanwhile Bajazet, having collected his forces, advanced
with the utmost rapidity and the most profound secrecy,
to the relief of his beleaguered fortress. So admirably
arranged was this manoeuvre, that it was not until his
V 3

294 A HISTORY OF
army actually defiled in their presence, that the negli
gent and incautious besiegers had the slightest idea of
his proximity. What ensued was a precise counterpart
of those scenes so often enacted upon the soil of Pales
tine ; where the impetuous valour and headstrong obsti
nacy of the crusading squadrons had so often led to
their overwhelming and humiliating defeat at the hands
of the wary Infidel.
The king of Hungary was well aware of the practice
then prevalent amongst eastern chieftains, of placing in
the van of their armies the most worthless of their
troops, destined to bear the brunt of the first onset of
the foe, reserving their better forces for subsequent
action, as soon as the vigour of the attack had ex
hausted itself. He therefore proposed that a similar
measure should be adopted in their own army; and
suggested that his own inexperienced militia would be
the most suitable opponents to these undisciplined
hordes of the enemy. The Count de Nevers, however,
with that blind obstinacy by which the bravest men
so often mar their fortunes, would listen to no such
proposition. He argued that the van of the army was
the post of honour, and as such belonged of right to the
chivalry of France ; that the attempt of Sigismond to
substitute his undisciplined Hungarians arose from a
desire on his part to secure for his own nation the chief
glory of the day. Supported as he was by subordinates
as hot-headed and arrogant as himself, all remonstrances
were unavailing, and the king was reluctantly com
pelled to witness the flower of his army wasting their
energies and exhausting their powers against the worth
less hordes who preceded the main body of the Infidel
army.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 295
Eagerly placing himself at the head of his gallant
array, Nevers, with an impetuosity which might have
carried with it the seeds of success, had it been tempered
with the smallest amount of prudence, dashed furiously
at the advancing foe. As might have been expected,
the swarms opposed to him were scattered like chaff
before the wind ; and without presenting any resistance
worthy of the name, either suffered themselves to be
helplessly slaughtered, or endeavoured to purchase
safety in a tumultuous and disorderly flight. The dis
persion of this advanced body, however, disclosed to
Nevers' view a spectacle which would have dismayed
any but the strongest nerve. In serried and dense
masses were drawn up, directly in his front, a huge
column of janissaries, then justly considered the flower
of the Turkish infantry. Their vast and massive bat
talions presented a firm and impassable barrier to his
further progress. Without a moment's pause, however,
the impetuous French dashed at their new assailants,
and for a considerable time a desperate combat ensued.
The onset of the Christians proved eventually irre
sistible ; and these janissaries, whose renown and general
career of success had led them to consider themselves
invincible, quailed beneath the vigour of the attack ;
and, after a vain attempt to maintain their ground, at
length gave way and fled for shelter,
Bajazet, however, had as yet brought into action but
a portion of his forces. On perceiving the disaster
which had befallen the janissaries, he advanced for their
support a large body of cavalry, in whose rear the
flying infantry were enabled to find protection from the
fierce pursuit of the foe. The ardour of the French
a,ppeared to rise with each successive obstacle : heedless
II 4

296 A HISTORY OF
of the vastly superior numbers opposed to them, and
without waiting for support from the remainder of the
Christian army, they dashed at their new antagonists
with so vigorous a charge, that they carried all before
them, and swept away this second barrier with the same
facility as the former one. Up to this point all had
gone well, the body of the army had apparently only to
remain quiet spectators, whilst the chivalry of France
were overcoming and dispersing in helpless confusion
ten times their number of the choicest forces under the
banner of the Infidel. Had Nevers paused here, and
rallying his scattered Knights, permitted the rest of the
army to advance and follow up the victory he had so
gloriously gained, that day must have witnessed the
complete overthrow of Bajazet's army. Fate, however,
had decreed it otherwise ; although the hour of Bajazet's
overthrow was close at hand, it was not by Christian
might that his destruction was to be accomplished ; and
he was permitted to enjoy yet one other brief hour of
triumph ere his own day of retribution came upon hira.
Hurried away by the ardour of pursuit, Nevers did
not for one moment stop to consider the exhausted state
to which his own troops had been reduced by their pre
vious efforts ; breaking their ranks, as they considered
the day finally gained, they urged their jaded steeds
after the flying foe in every direction. It was whilst in
this disordered condition that they were surprised, in
crowning the brow of a hill, to perceive upon its other
side a dense forest of spears, which had hitherto been
concealed from their view. This was Bajazet's grand
corps of reserve, with which he still trusted to redeem
the fortunes of the day. Having placed himself at
their head, he prepared once more to renew the combat

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 297
against the antagonists who had thrice overcome all that
had been opposed to them. These very victories, how
ever, had only the more certainly ensured their present
defeat. Both men and horses were exhausted with fa
tigue, their ranks broken, and all organisation lost in
their late disorderly pursuit ; what wonder then that this
fresh array of troops, Bajazet's own body guard, led by
that redoubtable chieftain himself in person, should gain
an easy victory ? Combat there was little or none, and
but a very slender remnant of that gallant band suc
ceeded in extricating themselves from the fatal plain.
The scale of victory had now turned ; the Hun
garians, witnessing the complete destruction of their
French allies, in whom they had placed their chief re
liance, and being themselves principally raw undis
ciplined levies of militia, without waiting to encounter
the shock of Bajazet's advance, gave way at once, and
fled ignominiously from the field. The Bavarians, how
ever, under Gara, the elector Palatine ; and the Styrians,
under Herman de Cilly, stood firm, and supported by
the Knights of Rhodes, sustained with a resolute front
the shock of the foe. Being reinforced by such of the
French cavalry as had escaped the previous melee, they
once more resumed the offensive ; and to the number
of about 12,000 hurled themselves anew upon the Turk.
At this moment it seemed as though the fate of the
day might still have been restored. The impetuous
charge of those gallant spirits carried them through the
dense ranks of the janissaries, who were totally unable
to withstand their power, whilst the sipahis, who ad
vanced to their support, were thrown into the utmost
disorder, and appeared as though they were once more
about to quail before the chivalry of Europe.

298 A HISTORY OF
At this critical moment, the Krai of Servia, a faithful
ally of Bajazet, rushed to the rescue, with a fresh body
of five thousand men. This reinforcement decided the
victory in favour of the Turks ; the heroic division,
which had struggled so long and so nobly to restore the
fortunes of the day, were crushed beneath the new foe
now brought against them, and the greater number
perished gloriously around their banners. A few faith
ful Knights, amongst whom was Philibert de Naillac,
clustered round the king, and with the greatest diffi
culty extricated him from the scene of strife. Having
gained the banks of the Danube, they placed Sigismond
and the Archbishop de Grand in a little boat, which was
lying beneath the shelter of the bank ; they themselves
remaining on the shore to secure a safe retreat to the
monarch. As soon as they had assured themselves that
the stream had carried the frail bark beyond the reach
of the missiles directed against it by the foe, Naillac,
accompanied by Gara and Cilly, took possession of
another boat, and made good their own escape in a
similar manner. Most fortunately it was not long
before they encountered the combined fleet of the Hos
pitallers and the Venetians, by whom they were speedily
conveyed to Rhodes, whence, after a detention of a few
days, during which Naillac entertained his royal guest
with magnificent splendour, Sigismond passed on into
Dalmatia. The results of this action were most disastrous to the
Christians ; the whole of the enormous body of prisoners
who fell into the hands of Bajazet were by him murdered
in cold blood on the succeeding day, to the number of
upwards of ten thousand. The carnage lasted from day
break until four o'clock in the afternoon. Only the

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 299
Count of Nevers, and twenty-four other Knights, from
whom he expected a large ransom, were rescued from
the general slaughter. If, as has been recorded by all
the contemporary historians, the French, prior to going
into action, had massacred such Turkish prisoners as
were then in their hands, this butchery may be looked
upon in the light of a reprisal, and its diabolical atrocity
somewhat mitigated.
The overthrow of the allied army having left Bajazet
at complete liberty, he once more pursued his cherished
schemes of conquest. The siege of Constantinople,
which had hitherto assumed the form simply of a block
ade, was converted into an active operation, and pushed
forward with extreme vigour. At the same time, he
overran the whole of the Morea ; and extended his ad
vantages to so great a length that the despot of that
country, one of the Porphyrogeniti, Theodore Paleologus,
fled from his dominions, and took refuge at Rhodes ;
and, whilst there, offered to sell his rights over the
district to the Knights of St, John, This proposal
having been accepted, and the price agreed on, paid
partly in money and partly in jewels, the Order sent
commissioners into the Morea to take formal possession
of their new acquisition. The inhabitants of Corinth
welcomed them with joy, feeling that they would be far
more secure under the white cross banner than under
the enfeebled sway of the Paleologi, Bajazet had, how
ever, in this interval been compelled to withdraw his
forces from their ravaging expeditions, and to concen
trate them for the purpose of opposing a new foe who
had appeared in his rear. The city of Sparta, taking
advantage of the temporary freedom gained by the ab
sence of their dreaded enemy, refused to admit the com-

300 A HISTORY OF
missioners within their walls, or to confirm in any way
the transfer which had taken place. Paleologus hearing
of this opposition, and already regretting the sale
which he had effected of his dignities, took advantage of
the incident to annul the contract, and it was not with
out the utmost difficulty, and after the lapse of several
years, that Naillac succeeded in rescuing from his grasp
the jewels and other treasure which he had received
from the Order,
Up to this time the career of the ambitious Bajazet
had been unchecked by any reverse. One by one he
had overcome the petty sovereigns by whom he was
surrounded, and, establishing himself upon the con
quered territory, he had created a powerful and ever
increasing kingdom. His recent success at the battle
of Nicopolis seemed to open the way for further acqui
sitions, and to smooth for him the path of ambition
which he had determined to tread. The capture of
Constantinople, and of such feeble remnants of the
Byzantine empire as were still retained by the Paleologi,
had long been a day dream with him, and the moment
appeared to have now arrived when that project might
be carried into execution. All hope of further assist
ance from Europe against the aggressions of the Turk
were at an end. The wail of lamentation that had
arisen throughout France at the announcement of the
fearful slaughter which had occurred during the battle
of Nicopolis and the inhuman butcheries which had
marked its close, had been too heart-rending and uni
versal to admit of the slightest prospect that further
aid could be drawn from thence. The Byzantine em
peror thus deprived of all succour from the West, in
the critical position in which he found himself placed,

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 301
was at length driven to seek the aid of one whose in
terposition was likely to prove quite as fatal as that of
Bajazet. In an evil hour for Christianity, he applied for the
assistance of Timour, or Tamerlane, the redoubted
Tartar chief, the fame of whose exploits was even then
ringing throughout the Eastern world. Of the origin
of Timour numerous different versions have been re
corded by historians ; some have asserted that he was
of very mean parentage, his father having been a
simple shepherd, and he himself having been engaged
during his early youth in superintending the pasturage
of his flocks. Others again pretend to trace his descent
from the great Djenghis Khan, Whichever may be the
correct version, there can be no doubt that he estab
lished his power entirely by the strength of his own
right hand ; and that from the most slender beginnings
he had raised himself to a domination over the countries
of the East so extensive as to have excited within his
breast the hope of one day aspiring to universal empire.
The character of Timour was one which marked him as
a being destined to play no ordinary part on the stage
of life. With all the qualities requisite in a great com
mander, he was at the same time endued with the
keenest political sagacity — a gift which enabled him
to consolidate his conquests so as to render their reten
tion a matter of no difficulty. Naturally ferocious and
bloodthirsty, he aimed at a rule of terror, which he
conceived to be the surest protection of a sovereign ;
indeed the saying is attributed to him that the throne
of a monarch could never be safe unless its base was
floating in blood. The ambitious tenor of his mind
may be well gathered from another of his favourite

302 A HISTORY OF
sayings, that, as there was but one God in heaven
so there should only be one monarch upon earth.
Indomitable in will he never formed a resolution
without persisting in its execution in spite of every
difficulty. Opposition appeared only to increase his
determination, and he thus often succeeded in over
riding obstacles before which a less dauntless mind
might have been cowed. His person was as singular
and conspicuous as his character. He was lame from
an injury he had received, the result of a fall from the
rampart of a fortress which he was assaulting. Not
withstanding this infirmity, he had an upright gait and
a proud commanding air. His head was large, his brow
expansive, and his hair, which was snowy white, com
bined with the ruddiness of his complexion, gave hiin
a most remarkable appearance. The game of chess was
a passion with him, and he had but few rivals in the
art. Deeply imbued with superstition, he held the
priesthood in great reverence, although his own religion
has been much disputed, and appears to have been made
to suit his policy rather than his faith. As the great
majority of his subjects were Mahometans he adopted
their tenets, but seems never to have practised them
very rigidly nor to have hesitated in any breach of their
laws which might advance his temporal prosperity.
Such was the ally whose aid the Greek emperor had
invoked, thus bringing upon the East of Europe that
scourge who had hitherto contented himself with sweep
ing the vast plains of Asia, Tamerlane, who was not
overpleased at the prospect of so powerful a neighbour
as Bajazet, entered willingly into the views of the
Greeks, and at once sent an embassy to the Ottoman

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 303
prince, requiring him to desist from the further pro
secution of his designs against Constantinople, and to
restore to the neighbouring princes, many of whom had
taken refuge at his own court, those territories that he
had torn from their sway. To this demand Bajazet
returned a peremptory refusal, accompanying his reply
with the most insulting and offensive threats against
his Tartar rival. The fiery nature of Timour was
instantly evoked by the terms of Bajazet's message, and
he determined to wreak a bitter vengeance upon the
prince who had dared thus to oppose his views and
beard his wrath, A call to arms throughout his vast
dominions was speedily obeyed on all sides, and a vast
force, composed of the various nations who had acknow
ledged his sway, was speedily collected beneath his
banners. The first active operation of the war which then
commenced was the siege of Sebasta, a powerful for
tress in Cappadocia, the defence of which was con
ducted by Ortogul, a favourite son of Bajazet. The
extreme strength of the place and the powerful gar
rison to whose care its defence had been entrusted,
made Ortogul deem it an easy matter to detain the
Tartar foe before its walls until his father should be
enabled to advance to his support. Little however
had he calculated the audacity and overpowering daring
of his opponent. Timour, neglecting all the ordinary
routine of a siege, hurled his wild hordes in endless
succession against the opposing ramparts, and by the
sheer force of numbers succeeded, after the most in
credible slaughter, in forcing his way into the town.
The whole garrison was instantly massacred in the

304 A HISTORY OF
fury of the moment, and Ortogul himself, in accord
ance with the savage dictates of Timour's nature, fell
a victim to the sword of the executioner.
The news of this the first reverse which had fallen
upon his arms, accompanied as it was by the murder
of his favourite son, caused the most poignant grief
and the most lively anxiety to Bajazet, Hastily
assembling his forces, he pushed rapidly forward to
meet the enemy who had dealt him so cruel a blow,
and the hostile forces encountered each other near
the town of Ancona, The result of the desperate
encounter which ensued was completely fatal to Baja
zet: his army was cut to pieces and utterly annihi
lated, whilst he himself remained a prisoner in the
hands of his foe — a fate from which he only escaped
a few months later by the death brought on from the
keenness of his disappointment at the utter overthrow
of all his projects.
The Knights of Rhodes had now cause to lament the
precipitancy with which the Greek emperor had invoked
the aid of so dangerous an ally. After having, by the
most rapid advances, and with the able assistance of his
lieutenants, succeeded in securing to himself the full
results of the advantages he had gained, Timour turned
his eyes in the direction of those European conquests
which had so often excited the ambition of Bajazet,
His keen glance instantly perceived that the strongest
bulwark of Christianity opposed to him was that island
fortress, the heights of which, in every direction, were
bristling with cannon, and were defended by the
redoubtable warriors of the cross, the fame of whose
deeds had penetrated even to the remotest fastnesses of
Asia, Before, however, he could attempt to crush the

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 305
parent establishment, he perceived that it would be
necessary to deal with its offshoot at Smyrna, and he
speedily led his forces in that direction.
It is stated that his first demand merely required the
form of planting his standard upon the citadel; but
William de Mine, the Knight to whom the Grand-Master
had confided the defence of Smyrna, rejected the proposed
compromise with scorn, De Naillac, having foreseen
that, whatever might be the issue of the struggle between
Bajazet and Tamerlane, the victor would be sure to
turn his arms in the direction of Smyrna, had taken
every precaution for its defence. In addition to the
appointment of the grand-hospitaller, William de Mine,
as its governor, a Knight in whose dauntless courage
and intelligent zeal he felt he could confide, he had
thrown such reinforcements into the place as had
rendered it as secure as the exposed nature of the town
would admit of,
Timour, finding his proposals rejected, gave instruc
tions for the siege to be instantly commenced by his
generals ; but, under their command, little or no progress
was made towards its capture. At length, he himself
arrived before the place, on the 1st December J 402, His
first act was to summon the garrison to a prompt sur
render; his next to direct the most energetic measures
for its assault. In order to secure the prompt submission
of such fortresses as he besieged, Timour had adopted a
system, from which he never deviated, of hoisting over
his pavilion, on the first day, a white flag, by which he
signified, that if the town surrendered on that day, the
lives of its garrison would be spared, and itself preserved
from pillage. On the second day a red flag was sub
stituted, signifying the death of the governor and the
VOL. I. X

306 A HISTORY OF
leading inhabitants, but still promising security to the
mass ; but should this day also pass without submission,
on the third morning a black flag was seen floating in
the place of the former ones, and from that moment
the only hope of the garrison rested in a successful
defence, for the capture of the town was inevitably
followed by the universal massacre of the inhabitants,
and its own utter destruction.
This stage having been reached, the garrison of
Smyrna knew their fate, and prepared to resist it man
fully, Timour's first attempt at an assault was frus
trated by the Knights with great slaughter. Pouring
upon the assailants every species of missile which the
art of war had in those days adopted, including the far-
famed Grecian fire, boiling oil, seething pitch, together
with sundry other aids to defence, such as were usually
adopted, they succeeded in driving the Tartars back in
confusion to their camp. The bitter experience of this
failure taught Timour that he was now in the presence
of men, against whom the dashing and off-hand mea
sures he had so often successfully adopted would be
unavailing. Bold and determined as might be the onset,
he was met by a foe, who could die, but never yield ;
and against that living rampart of Christian warriors
it was in vain that he hurled the choicest battalions in
his vast army. Taught by this experience, his fertile
genius soon devised a means for meeting his opponents
upon a different footing.
He caused numerous circular gigantic wooden towers
to be constructed, moveable upon rollers, of such large
dimensions as to contain two hundred men within each ;
and so lofty, that, when divided into three compart
ments, the centre one should be on a level with the

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 307
ramparts of the town. The top floor was destined to
be crowded with archers, who, from its height, would
be enabled to overlook the defenders of the ramparts,
and could pour a destructive fire upon them at the
critical moment of the assault. To the centre floor a
moveable bridge was attached, enabling the assaulting
party to cross on to the rampart without difficulty,
whilst the lower compartment was filled with miners,
who were enabled to penetrate beneath the walls of the
town, in perfect security from any opposition on the
part of the defenders. He at the same time closed the
entrance of the port with enormous blocks of stone, thus
completely cutting off the possibility of any reinforce
ment reaching the fortress by means of the sea. The
number of workmen employed upon this operation was
so great, that the whole work was completed in one
day, and from that hour the garrison felt that their
doom was sealed.
All his preparations having thus been made, Timour
gave the signal for the assault, and the ponderous
towers moved slowly towards the ramparts. Although
a deluge of rain poured in incessant torrents throughout
the day, neither attack nor defence was for one moment
checked : the heroic Knights struggling with the courage
of despair, at each new danger redoubled their efforts,
pouring from their ramparts a constant stream of Greek
fire, naphtha, and flaming arrows, upon the advancing
foe, Timour's precautions, however, had been too well
taken to admit of the possibility of failure : whilst the
defenders were gallantly struggling to resist the assault
ing parties hurled against them from the centre com
partments of Timour's machines, those beneath were
enabled to prosecute their labours unrestrained ; and
X 2

308 A HISTORY OF
ere long large gaps appeared in the masonry of the
ramparts, supported only by wooden props, which the
besiegers had inserted for that purpose. These timbers,
after having been well coated with naphtha, were, upon
a given signal, ignited, and as the rising flames encircled
them in a fiery embrace, the support gave way, and a
large mass of the treacherous rampart fell to the earth
with a deafening crash. With shouts of exultation the
assailants poured through the breach, and overcoming by
their numbers every obstacle which the defenders were
enabled to throw in their way, succeeded in planting
the banner of Islam upon the conquered citadel,
Timour did not, upon this occasion, depart from the
practice which he invariably pursued after the display
of his black banner, and the universal destruction of
town, garrison, and inhabitants, speedily followed the
successful termination of the conflict. A few of the latter
succeeded in forcing their way to the shore, whence by
swimming they reached a barque then standing in the
offing ; but, with this exception, all else fell beneath the
edge of the sword. The Order of St, John had on that
day to mourn the loss of every one of those brave sons
into whose hands she had committed the defence of
Smyrna, It had been Timour's custom, after a universal
massacre of this description, to raise a pyramid with
the heads of his enemies, but the numbers who fell upon
the present occasion not being sufficient to carry out the
design with the magnitude he contemplated, he directed,
that in raising the structure, as an economy of the
human material, only one head should be used between
two stones. On the day succeeding that in which this
sad calamity befel the Order, their fleet appeared in
sight, bearing reinforcements for the garrison from

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 309^
Rhodes, but the Tartar caused his artillerists to hurl'
with their machines some of the aforesaid heads at the
advancing foe, who by this means perceived that they
had arrived too late to succour their unfortunate breth
ren, and consequently returned once more to Rhodes,
to bear the melancholy intelligence of the loss of
Smyrna. Timour prepared to follow up his advantages by an
attack upon Rhodes, but he was totally unprovided
with the fleet necessary for the operation, and whilst he
was striving to supply the deficiency, news reached him
of an invasion of the eastern provinces of his dominions
by the king of India, and he was compelled to retire in
haste from the scene of his recent successes, to grapple
with his new enemy, and fortunately for the peace of
Christendom, and more especially the Order at Rhodes,
he did not live to return to Europe, but died about two
years after, from the effects of the constant debauchery
in which he had revelled. Naillac seized the earliest
opportunity which this suspension of hostilities gave
hira, to restore, as far as possible, the loss sustained by
the capture of Smyrna. With this view, he made him
self master of a Turkish fortress on the main land, at
about twelve miles from the island of Lango, built upon
the ruins of Halicarnassus, celebrated as the site of the
tomb of King Mausoleus, and as the birthplace of Hero
dotus. Not deeming this fortress sufficiently secure for
his purpose, he caused another to be constructed, at the
end of a peninsula which jutted out into the sea. All
of which the art of fortification at that time was capable
was lavished with unsparing hand on this new work, no
less than seven enceintes covering it from attack. On the
inner retrenchment was placed the line of the Psalmist,
X 3

310 A HISTORY OF
"Unless the Lord hath built the city the watchman
watches but in vain ;" whilst the fortress itself received
the name of St, Peter Liberated, This new outpost of
the Order was garrisoned with a strong body of Knights,
and every precaution taken to ensure its security from
the hostile neighbours by whom it was surrounded. It
ere long became a point of refuge for all who sought to
escape from the iron yoke of Mussulman tyranny, and the
unfortunate Christian, flying from slavery, found ever
within its hospitable walls a ready welcome and sure
protection. As aids in the defence, a race of dogs was
kept within the fortress, whose keen instincts led them
to perform, with the utmost tact and sagacity, the part
of sentinels, and, by their assistance, the guard were
ever sure of receiving early intimation of the approach
of the enemy.*

* The extent to which this sagacity on the part of these canine
allies of the Knights was carried, led to numerous legends in their
honour, for the veracity of which the ancient historians were ever
ready to vouch. They assert that their sense of smell was so keen,
that they could invariably detect a Moslem from a Christian ; allowing
the latter to approach unquestioned, whilst the presence of the former
was certain to elicit a prompt alarm on their part. Bosio records a
still stranger instance. He recounts that upon one occasion a Chris
tian captive, who was escaping from his thraldom, was so hotly
pursued by the Turks that he was unable to gain the friendly shelter
of the fortress. As the only means of attaining a temporary refuge, he
threw himself into a dry well,>where, owing to the vigilance of his foes,
he was compelled to lie concealed several days. In this predicament
he must have been starved to death, had not one of these celebrated
masiilFs discovered his retreat, and brought him daily a portion of his
own food. The keeper of the dogs, perceiving that he was losing his
condition, watched him, to ascertain the cause, and was thus led to
discover the fugitive, who was rescued and brought into the castle. — ¦
Bosio, vol. ii. lib. iv.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 311
In the year 1403, Naillac was enabled to render good
service in a mediatorial capacity between the king of
Cyprus and the Genoese ; a dissension having arisen,
which, if not quelled, would have had the most calami
tous results for Christianity in the Levant. The
Genoese republic had succeeded in obtaining possession
of the town of Famagosta, in Cyprus, and it was held
by a garrison in their name, to the great dissatisfaction
of the king, James de Lusignan, and the rest of the in
habitants. An attempt was consequently made by him
to expel the intruders, and a regular siege was laid to
the town. When the news of this act of hostility
reached Genoa, which was then under the protection of
France, an expedition was at once despatched, led by
the Marshal de Bourcicault, for the purpose of checking
his designs. This fleet put into the harbour of Rhodes,
where they were received with every mark of hospitality ;
but Naillac, who was keenly alive to the danger of the
quarrel, implored Bourcicault, before he proceeded to
extremities, to allow him to attempt a mediation between
them. This was readily granted, and the efforts of the
Grand-Master were so successful, that the siege of
Famagosta was raised, and the expeditionary force under
Bourcicault rendered no longer necessary.
Under these circumstances, the French commander,
unwilling to return without having struck a blow, joined
with De Naillac in a predatory excursion against the
principal Saracenic seaports of Asia Minor, In this
undertaking, nothing of any importance was effected,
owing to the vastly superior forces which met them on
every side, but they realised a booty sufficiently con
siderable to repay them for their exertions. On their
return to Rhodes, they were surprised to find a proposal
X 4

312 A HISTORY OF
from the sultan of Egypt, whose territories they had
just been ravaging, to enter into an alliance with them.
The fears which he entertained of the aggressive policy
of his neighbours, the Ottoman Turks, led him to take
this step; and Naillac was sufficiently far-sighted to
make the most of his opportunities. The treaty which
he concluded with the sultan gave the Christians per
mission to enclose the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem with
a wall ; to maintain six Knights of the Order of St,
John within the city, free from all tribute, who should
be permitted to carry on the hospitable duties of their
profession in favour of all pilgrims led thither by
devotion ; that Christian slaves might be redeemed,
either by purchase, or by exchange with a Saracen ; and
that consuls might be maintained in Jerusalem, and in
the other principal cities of the Holy Land, For the
benefits of this treaty, so advantageous to Christianity,
the world was indebted entirely to the diplomatic ability
of the Grand-Master at Rhodes.
Unfortunately, at this time there was but too great a
need for the exercise of this talent on his part. The
schism which had for so many years torn the bosom of
the Church, and introduced the spirit of dissension
Avithin his own Order, was still raging furiously ; and
Naillac, finding matters comparatively tranquil in the
East, proceeded to Europe, to endeavour by his presence
to reclaim the recusant languages to their duty. The
two famous councils which were held for the purpose of
healing this schism were both confided to the protection
of Naillac and the fraternity ; and when the latter con
cluded, by appointing Martin V, to the papal chair,
and dethroning all his rivals, the Grand-Master
had the lively satisfaction of witnessing the close

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 313
of that dispute which had been so pernicious to the
interests of his Order, The contumacious languages
all promptly gave in their adherence to the new regime;
and, supported by the authority of Martin, Naillac was
at once recognised as their Grand-Master, After having
held an assembly at Avignon, and another at Ancona,
De Naillac returned to Rhodes in the year 1420, where
his appearance, after the lapse of eleven years, was
greeted with the most unbounded enthusiasm.
The last act of his long and useful life was presiding
at a general council, which he convoked to meet at
Rhodes shortly after his arrival. In this council all
the acts which led to the reunion of the Order were
ratified, and a feeling of joy pervaded the assembly at
the prospect of their being once more reunited under a
common head. To Naillac this last scene was one of in
tense gratification, and served to shed a halo on his latter
moments, which were fast approaching ; for in the fol
lowing year he breathed his last, comforted with the
feeling that he left the fraternity, at whose head he had
been for so many years placed, at union with itself, at
peace with its neighbours, and in a most flourishing
state of prosperity. The satisfactory condition in which
De Naillac left his government must be attributed far
more to his diplomatic and political abilities, than to the
success of his arras ; indeed, the martial exploits of the
fraternity during his rule were never productive of
much beneficial result, and in some cases, such as the
battle of Nicopolis, and the defence of Smyrna, were
disastrous in the last degree ; but, however strongly the
fortune of war might have declared against hira, he was
invariably enabled, by his political sagacity, to restore
the equilibrium, and to maintain his Order in that

SL4 A HISTORY OF
proud position which they had so long held in the eyes
of Europe,
The rule of his successor, Antoine Fluvian* although
extended over a period of sixteen years, was marked
but by few events of political importance ; the only
foreign incident, worthy of record, being the invasion of
Cyprus by Alnazar Aldaher, the Mamelouk sultan of
Egypt, in the year 1423. The Order of St, John ren
dered every assistance of which they were capable to
James de Lusignan, the Cypriote monarch, on this occa
sion, but their efforts were unsuccessful ; and the com
bined forces of Rhodes and Cyprus were defeated in a
decisive action by the Egyptian sultan, and the king
himself taken prisoner. In spite of this defeat, the
Knights continued to maintain the struggle on behalf
of the unfortunate inhabitants, nor did they cease their
efforts until peace was declared with the Egyptians, the
captive king paying a ransom of 30,000 gold florins,
the greater portion of which was advanced by the
treasury of Rhodes,
Two general chapters were held at the convent in the
years 1428 and 1432, in which numerous regulations
for the well-being of the Order were established; the
most important among them was the appointment of all
novices who should enter the Order to some commandery
within their language, where they should be not only
maintained, but also trained to those knightly and reli
gious duties incident in their new profession. Hitherto,
much scandal had been brought upon the Order by the
wandering life led by many of the youthful novices,
who, looking upon the badge of their profession merely
* He was also sometimes called La Rivi&re,

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 315
as a distinction flattering to their vanity, appeared
totally to neglect the duties inculcated by their vows.
To check this demoralising irregularity, the council
wisely deterrained to place their young aspirants under
the care of those commanders who, from their age and
position, would be best enabled to undertake their
governance. Knights were also forbidden to establish
themselves at the court of Rome ; the pernicious
example of Heredia having been subsequently so fre
quently followed, as to render a restriction of this nature
highly necessary. The last act of Fluvian's life was to
rebuild the great hospital of the island, and to endow it
from his own funds ; and in the month of October 1437
he died, leaving by his will the sum of 200,000 ducats
as a gift to the public treasury.
John de Lastic, Grand-Prior of Auvergne, was raised
to the magisterial seat in succession to Fluvian ; and
the high reputation which he bore, both as a com
mander and a politician, was brought to the test shortly
after his succession. The sultan of Egypt, Abou Said
Jacraac, had commenced preparations for a descent
upon Rhodes, and unfortunately the Ottoman sultan,
who had hitherto always acted as a check upon the
Egyptians, had determined upon this occasion, if not
to support them, at all events to offer no opposition
to their enterprise. After vain attempts at negotiation
with both the sultans, de Lastic, who perceived that the
issue must be decided by arms, strengthened his posi
tion by every possible means, and quietly awaited the
attack of his foe. At length, in the month of Septem
ber 1440, the Egyptian fleet, to the number of eighteen
galleys, accompanied by numerous smaller craft, ap
peared before Rhodes, The intrepid conduct of the

316 A HISTORY OF
inhabitants prevented the Moslems from attempting an
immediate disembarkation, and before they had decided
on their line of conduct, the fleet of the Order, led by
their Grand-Marshal, left the security of their harbour,
and advanced to meet the enemy. The imposing front
thus presented, terrified the Egyptians, who, declining the
action, took advantage of the darkness of night to beat
a retreat. The Marshal, however, divining their intent,
pushed rapidly after them, and so completely outsailed
them, that when they appeared before the castle of
Lango, they found him already there awaiting them.
Finding their manoeuvre thus rendered useless, the
Egyptians once more hauled off, and took shelter be
neath the batteries of a Turkish fort, where they con
sidered themselves in security from any attempt on
the part of the Hospitallers. The Marshal, however,
whose chivalric spirit spurned the thought of returning
to Rhodes without having made any attempt upon his
enemy, dashed at their fleet as it lay at anchor, and a
sanguinary engagement ensued ; which, without any
decisive result on either side, ended by the retreat of
the Egyptians to their own land, and the return of
the Hospitallers to Rhodes,
The sultan, indignant at the failure of this expedition,
commenced active preparations for another on a larger
and more formidable scale. The Rhodians were, on
their side, by no means idle, and when, in the month of
August 1444, the invading army landed on the island
of Rhodes, the white cross banner was floating in
proud defiance on its walls, and every heart within
their circuit beat with a proud consciousness that they
were fully prepared to drive back the intruders with
ignominy into the sea. For forty days the siege was

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 317
prosecuted with the greatest energy ; but the Moslem
could make no impression on those well-manned ram-
parts, and after leaving the flower of his army to
repose beneath that soil, where, instead of a triumph,
they had found a grave, the Saracens returned discom
fited to Cairo, This second failure induced the sultan
to sue for peace, and in the year 1446, this war, which
had threatened destruction to the Order, but which,
through their gallantry and prudence, had brought
complete discomfiture upon their opponents, was ter
minated by an amicable treaty.
The efforts which had been made to resist the ag
gression of the Infidels, had caused a large but very
necessary expenditure ; whereby not only the treasury
at Rhodes, but also the credit of the Order, had been
strained to the utmost. To meet this difficulty, the
amount of responsions payable by each coraraandery
was, by the order of a general chapter, increased for a
limited period, in order that funds might be provided to
pay off the liabilities which had been incurred. Several
of the commanders who, living in indolence and luxury
in Europe, appeared unwilling to contribute, even by
their purses, to the maintenance of their Order at
Rhodes, appealed to the Pope against this decree.
Nicholas v., who was then on the chair of St, Peter,
being instructed on only one side of the question, wrote
a strong letter of remonstrance to the Grand-Master,
To this missive Lastic forwarded a reply, signed by the
whole of his council, in which, though most respectful
and temperate in its language, he maintained his point
with much dignity. The Pontiff appears to have been
perfectly satisfied with the response, and to have
withdrawn all opposition to the measure ; but the

318 A HISTORY OF
commanders notwithstanding continued obstinate, and
peremptorily refused payment. Considering the state
of peril in which they were placed, and the absolute
necessity that existed for perfect union and mutual
support amongst themselves, the council, in this dilem
ma, decided upon a measure which had no precedent
in the annals of the institution, and which nothing but
the necessity of the times would have warranted. They
vested in the hands of the Grand-Master powers com
pletely dictatorial, and resigned in his favour that
authority which they themselves had lately exercised.
Thus armed, Lastic made but short work with the
recusants. Pursuing with the utmost vigour those who
persisted in disobedience, and taking measures even to
strip them of their robe, and expel them from the
Order, he rapidly reduced the most refractory to sub
mission ; and at the expiration of three years, he once
more resigned his extraordinary powers, after having
restored perfect unanimity and obedience throughout
the fraternity. Well was it for the Knights of St, John
that at this crisis they were governed by one in whom
they could venture to vest the irresponsible powers
of an autocrat, and who knew so well how to wield that
authority to their advantage.
On the edge of the political horizon were fast gather
ing the clouds of that storm which was, ere long, to
burst with such fury on their devoted island; and
which would call for the most unanimous energy and
devoted zeal on their part. Upon the death of Timour,
the four sons of Bajazet took advantage of the inter
regnum caused by the disputed succession among his
children, to wrest from the hands of the Tartars the
various portions of their father's empire. The three

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 319
elder, after short and disturbed reigns, gradually fell
in fraternal combats, and upon the death of Moussa,
whom he himself murdered, Mahomet I., the youngest
of Bajazet's sons, found himself in undisputed posses
sion of his father's territories. After a reign of eight
years, he was succeeded by his son, Mourad IL, under
whose sway the Ottoman power was extended even be
yond what it had attained in the days of Bajazet. Had
it not been for the patriotism and gallantry of Hunyad
and Scanderbeg, who, from their mountain fastnesses,
maintained an incessant and often successful warfare
against his aggressions, he would undoubtedly have
effected the capture of Constantinople, and thus have
accomplished the utter overthrow of the shattered relics
of that once proud and powerful Byzantine empire.
This dream of his life he was not, however, fated to
accomplish, but the first act of his successor, Ma
homet IL, was to achieve that in which his father had
failed. The scenes which were enacted upon this occasion, when
the last of the Paleologi fell beneath the conquering sci
mitar of the Ottoman, form a dark page in Eastern history ;
and the speech of Mahomet, " Constantinople first, and
then Rhodes," warned the Knights, if such a caution
were necessary, that it behoved them to set their house
in order, for that, ere long, they would see the lion at
their gates. We therefore find Lastic, in 1453, writing
a circular to every European commandery, sumraoning
his Knights to hasten instantly to the defence of Rhodes,
In this letter he states : " After weeping over the miser
able downfall of the illustrious Constantinople, as we
have recorded in preceding letters, this is to command
you to come hither instantly, where the want of your

320 A HISTORY OF
assistance is most urgent, for not a day elapses without
our hearing of some new slaughter of Christians by the
Grand Turk, and of his inhuman cruelties, not from
idle rumour, but from our own confidential emissaries,
who record only what they have seen with their own
eyes ; so that it is a certain fact that the most fearful
horrors have been already perpetrated. Wait for no
further letters, or exhortations, or commands from us,
but the instant you receive these lines, set out at once
for Rhodes,"
The fall of Constantinople had been no sooner accom
plished, than Mahomet sent a herald to Rhodes to
demand the payment of tribute from the Order, and
the acknowledgment of his supremacy over their do
mains. To this demand Lastic returned a noble and
determined refusal, and at once prepared to meet the
consequences which he was well aware that refusal
must evoke. He despatched the commander D'Aubusson
to the various courts of Europe, to endeavour to
procure such aid, either in men or money, as the ex
hausted enthusiasm of the monarchs of Christendom
might still induce them to contribute for the defence
of their advanced post in the Levant, It was in this
embassy that D'Aubusson, whose name was destined
eventually to shed such lustre over his Order, displayed
the first symptoms of that ability by which he was
afterwards so distinguished. Although he was every
where met by the most repelling lukewarmness and
chilling neglect, by dint of energy and perseverance
he succeeded in extorting from both Charles VII,
of France, and Duke Phihp of Burgundy, consider
able sums of money ; part of which he expended in
the purchase of arms and mihtary stores, and the

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 321
remainder he forwarded to Rhodes, to be laid out in
such manner as the Grand-Master might deem expedient.
Meanwhile, the most energetic measures were being
taken to increase the strength of the fortifications.
Ditches were deepened and widened, ramparts were
heightened and strengthened, and no point omitted,
which, in the opinion of the engineers of the day, could
tend to insure the security of the place. Whilst in the
midst of this occupation, De Lastic fell sick, and, after
a short illness, died on the 19th of May 1454. Although,
as has already been recorded, the title of Grand-Master
was first awarded to Hugh de Revel, and was afterwards
continued to most of his successors, still Bosio and
Sebastian Paoli both assert that De Lastic was the first
head of the Order of St. John who definitively and
officially was recognised as bearing a claim to that
title. James de Milly, Grand-Prior of Auvergne, was nomi
nated the thirty-fifth Grand-Master, upon the death of
Lastic. The danger of an invasion from the Ottoman
emperor being imminent, Milly, who was at the time of
his election resident in his priory, lost no time in
reaching Rhodes, where the presence of the supreme
head was felt to be indispensable. The storm which
had been so long gathering was, however, not yet ready
to burst, A powerful coalition of the principal Christian
nations interested in the politics of the East, had in
duced Mahomet to postpone for a while his hostile in
tentions towards Rhodes ; and, most fortunately for the
Knights, the Hungarian campaign of 1456 ended in a
disastrous and bloody defeat, which Hunyad succeeded
in inflicting upon the Turks, Milly followed up this
check to the Ottoman arms by ravaging their coasts
VOL, I. Y

322 A HISTORY OF
with his galleys, and utterly ruining the commerce of
the Infidel. Mahomet, despite the check which he had
received in Hungary, was not the monarch to submit
tamely to such aggressions on the part of those whose
destruction he had already vowed ; and, breathing out
vengeance against their audacity, he rapidly equipped a
fleet, with which he proposed to carry the war into the
enemy's country. The first point of attack of this expe
dition, which numbered a force of 18,000 men, in addition
to the fleet, was the fortress of Lango, one of the out
posts of Rhodes ; but the Knights who held this castle
succeeded in repelling the attack, and driving the in
vaders back to their ships. A similar attempt upon the
island of Simla had no better success ; and although at
Rhodes they succeeded in effecting a disembarkation,
and in ravaging some of the defenceless villages, they did
not venture to make any attempt upon the fortress itself;
but returned home, bearing with them very slender
fruits for the costly armament which had been prepared.
It had been a leading principle in the diplomacy of
the fraternity to endeavour, as far as practicable, to
maintain a peace with one of their Eastern neighbours,
whilst they prosecuted a war with the other ; it was,
therefore, with the utmost dismay that now, when a
desperate struggle might at any moment be looked for
with Mahomet and his Ottoman forces, a cause of quarrel
should spring up with the sultan of Egypt, with whom
they were at this time most anxious to maintain peace.
The dissension arose from a disputed succession to the
crown of Cyprus, John III. had, at his death, left the
crown to his daughter Charlotte, widow of John of Por
tugal, and afterwards married to Louis of Savoy. He
had also left a bastard son, named James, whose am-

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 323
bitious spirit led him to endeavour to wrest the power
from his sister Charlotte, Louis of Savoy, however,
who, in virtue of his wife, maintained the sway of the
kingdom, drove the pretender from the island, who
took refuge with the sultan of Egypt, The crown of
Cyprus had of late years always paid an annual tsibute
to this potentate, and James sought to enlist the in
terests of the sultan on his side, by promising to double
the tribute if he would maintain his cause, and place
him on his sister's throne. Charlotte, on the other
hand, threw herself on the protection of the Knights of
St. John, where the justice of her cause, and, as some
say, the beauty of her person, raised her many warm
partisans. An embassy was at once despatched to the
sultan of Egypt, and he, who was at that time loth to
quarrel with his redoubtable neighbours, would in all
probability have thrown over his own protege, had he
not received a message from the Ottoman emperor, pro
mising to support him in maintaining the cause of the
bastard against the Knights of Rhodes, A descent was
consequently made upon the unfortunate island of Cy
prus, and in spite of the utmost efforts of the Hospi
tallers, the Egyptians overran the whole island. It was
in the midst of this war that the galleys of the Order
captured from out of some Venetian vessels a quantity
of Infidel merchandise, which, together with its owners,
they carried off in triumph to Rhodes, The haughty
queen of the Adriatic was so incensed at this act, that
a fleet was at once equipped and despatched to that
island, demanding instant restitution of the captured
property ; threatening, in case of refusal, the most severe
reprisals. The more youthful among the Knights were
for daring the Venetians to do their worst ; but Milly,
T 2

324 A HISTORY OF
who felt that he had already more enemies to contend
against than he was able to meet, checked the rash sug
gestion, and, by a prompt restitution of the disputed
prize, mollified the incensed republic, and had the grati
fication of witnessing their fleets depart peaceably from
his shores. The struggle ended in the establishment of
the bastard as king of Cyprus, and the abandonment of
her claims on the part of Charlotte.
At this most inauspicious moment, a dispute broke
out in the midst of the fraternity, which at one time
threatened to aid materially the enemies who were com
passing its overthrow from without. From the time of
its first formation, the French element had much pre
ponderated in the ranks of the Order, and of the seven
languages into which it was divided, three belonged to
that nation: the consequence was, that most of the
leading dignities were invariably bestowed upon French
Knights, and the languages of Spain, Italy, England,
and Germany complained bitterly of this preference.
They asserted that, in a body composed indifferently of
the nobility of all Europe, the highest posts should be
given, irrespective of nation, to the senior Knights ; on
the other hand, the French argued that as the Order
was originally established by them, and the other nations
only admitted by adoption, they were fairly entitled to
maintain within their own languages the chief offices of
state, and that as one of the leading dignities was at
tached to each language, there was no just ground for
complaint in the matter. The principal subject of dis
satisfaction centred itself in the post of Grand-Marshal,
an office which had always been attached to the lan
guage of Auvergne, and which, carrying with it as it
did the powers of Captain-General over the island of

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 325
Rhodes, and a direct control over all the other offices of
state, invested its holder with powers inferior only to
those of the Grand-Master,
It was while these disputes were at their height, that
James de Milly died of an attack of gout, in the year
1461, and Raymond Zacosta, castellan of Emposta,
found himself elected to the vacant government. The
nomination of a Spanish Knight to the supreme dignity,
after the successive rule of so many Frenchmen, at a
time when the disputes between the nations ran so high,
tells that the majority were opposed to the pretensions
of the three languages of France, The first act decreed
by the council under their new chief also marks the
same result, and clearly demonstrates the influence of
a Grand-Master in its decisions. This was the division
of the language of Aragon, removing from it the king
dom of Portugal, together with the provinces of Castile
and Leon, which were erected into an eighth language,
to which the dignity of Grand-Chancellor was thence
forth attached. This compromise appears to have quelled
the feud, and the Knights, no longer at discord with
themselves, commenced once again to prepare for the
attack which was still threatening them,
Raymond availed himself of their restored unanimity,
to commence the erection of a fort upon a rock which
jutted out into the sea at the entrance of the harbour^f
Rhodes, The importance of this spot had long been
recognised, but hitherto the want of means, and the
pressing demands of other parts of the fortress, had pre
vented steps from being taken for its occupation. Now,
however, Duke Philip of Burgundy having forwarded a
considerable remittance for the strengthening of the
fortifications, the Grand-Master determined upon losing
T 3

326 A HISTORY OF
no further time in securing this salient post. It received
the name of Fort Nicholas, from the fact of a small
chapel, dedicated to that saint, w^hich was encircled by
its enceinte; and in the eventful siege to which the
course of events will shortly bring the history of the
Order, this new stronghold became the centre of those
desperate struggles of which their island was so soon to
be the theatre. The arms of the prince to whom they
were indebted for the funds by which they were enabled
to commence its erection, were placed in gratitude upon
its walls, although the amount received from him fell
far short of that required for its completion. Zacosta,
who felt how important it was that the work should be
promptly completed, took a step for that purpose which
the exigencies of the case certainly warranted, but which
became the cause of much dissatisfaction. It has been
already stated, that at the time he was elected to the
Grand-Mastership, Raymond was holding the post of
castellan of Emposta ; under ordinary circumstances, he
should, upon attaining the higher dignity, have resigned
the latter. This, however, he resolved not to do, but, still
retaining the castellany in his own hands, he devoted its
revenues entirely to the completion of the new fort. He
also divided the whole line of defences around the city
in such a manner, that a specific portion should be ap-
puopriated to each language, to be maintained and de
fended by them, and to receive their name. It is worthy
of record, that in the keen competition and emulation
which such an arrangement naturally elicited, the por
tion appropriated to the Enghsh language became cele
brated over all the others for the perfect order in which
it was maintained, and the decorations with which it
was embellished.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 327
The siege and capture of Lesbos, which took place in
1465, and in the defence of which a body of Hospitallers
had taken part and lost their lives, became a new warn
ing to the fraternity to maintain their vigilance against
their relentless and ever-advancing foe. Zacosta, who was
determined not only to do his own duty, but also to
compel those over whom he had been called to rule, to
be equally ready in the discharge of their obligations,
sent a special citation to the various receivers of the
Order, to press forward the payment of all such respon
sions as were due. These latter, however, becoming
wearied of the constant demands made upon them for
preparations against an attack which seemed always
impending, but which never took place, appealed to the
court of Rome against the requisitions of their chief.
Pope Paul II,, upon the receipt of this complaint, directed
that the general chapter which had been summoned to
meet at Rhodes, should assemble at Rome, and that the
Grand- Master should appear there in person. Although
Zacosta might, had he so desired, have pleaded the neces
sity of his continuous residence at the convent, he never
theless at once prepared to obey the mandate, and
anxious to confront his enemies and calumniators, pro
ceeded to the seat of papal authority. There his success
was so complete, and the explanations which he gave to
the Pontiff so satisfactory, that his enemies were clothed
with shame, and the Pope hastened to make an earnest,
though tardy, reparation for the wrongs which his sus
picions had done him. He was overwhelmed with
honours and distinctions, and the favour he enjoyed en
abled him to compel the refractory commanders, now no
longer supported by superior authority, to pay their
just tribute into the treasury, T 4

328 A HISTORY OF
This dispute having ended in a manner far more
favourable to Zacosta than at one time appeared probable,
he prepared for his return to Rhodes, Unfortunately,
however, his design was crossed by a violent illness,
which, assuming the form of pleurisy, rapidly brought
his existence to a termination, in the early part of the
year 1467, The Pope, with whom he was at the time in
high favour, decreed that his remains should be awarded
the honour of a grave in the cathedral of St, Peter,
where his funeral obsequies were performed with great
magnificence. His tomb lay on the left side of the chapel
of St, Gregory, beneath a marble slab, on which was
engraved the effigy of the defunct chief, and a Latin in
scription asserting his titles, age, &c,*
The opportunity thus offered to the Pontiff, by the
demise of a Grand-Master within the limits of his own
immediate jurisdiction, and the consequent necessity for
a prompt re-election, was not thrown away by Paul.
He at once convoked the required assembly, from
amongst such members of the general chapter as were
still in Rome; and there, under his own dictation, the prior
of Rome, John Orsini, was raised to the vacant dignity.
In spite, however, of the papal influence, exerted though
it was with the utmost vigour, the election was keenly
* Upon the occasion of a repair to the chapel of St. Gregory, the
tomb was transferred to the foot of the confessional of St. Peter, and
the slab to the crypt of the church, where it still exists. Its inscrip
tion ran thus : — ¦
PETRO RAIMUNDO ZACOSTA DE ISPANIA CITERIORI ;
SAC. DOM. HOSP. S. 10. HIEROSOLTMITANI M. MAGISTRO.
QUI GENERALI CAPITULO SUI ORDUnS ROM^ CELEBRATO, LXHU.
.ffilTATIS SU^ ANNO, VITA FUNCTUS EST.
CONSILIO, PIETATE, CHARITATE INCLITO.
HOC MONUMENTUM, RELIGIONIS' PECKETO, PATEI, B. M. POSITUM.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 329
contested ; and the prior of St, GiUes, Raymond Ricard,
was defeated only by a single vote, having obtained
eight to the nine which were recorded in favour of
Orsini, Had the election been held anywhere but at
Rome, there is but little doubt that Ricard would have
been the new Grand-Master.
The general summons to Rhodes which inaugurated
the elevation of Orsini, was responded to with enthusiasm ;
and a great multitude of Knights, and others interested
in the welfare of the Order, flocked thither to greet
their new chief, and to assist him in his projects of de
fence. Most important amOngst these new acquisitions,
stood Peter d' Aubusson, whose name has been already
mentioned, and who was destined to fill a very important
page in the annals of the Order, Eminently talented as
an engineer, and well read in all the most modern and
improved systems of fortification, he was felt to be the
man to whom, in the present crisis, all should look for
advice and assistance. He was named Captain- General
and inspector of the island, and under his direction the
ditches were enlarged wherever he perceived that they
would add to the security of the place, and a wall was
raised on the sea-side of the town, of nearly four hundred
feet in length and twenty feet in height : the cost of
which work was defrayed from the private purse of the
Grand-Master. Although, at this time, no actual war had been declared
between Mahomet and the Order, but on the contrary,
more than one treacherous and ill-regarded truce had been
concluded ; still constant skirmishes were for ever taking
place between the rival powers. In the year 1470, how
ever, the spies who were maintained by the Hospitallers
at the court of their Eastern foe, and, if report speaks

330 A HISTORY OF
truly, even within the very walls of his harem, gave
timely notice that a gigantic armament was being pre
pared, the ultimate destination of which was as yet a
secret within the bosom of the sultan. Whilst it re
mained uncertain whether Rhodes or the Venetian island
of Negropont was to be the point of attack, an attempt
was made by the republic of the Adriatic to enter into
an alliance, offensive and defensive, with the Hospitallers,
Had this offer been made in good faith, it would, under the
peculiar circumstances of the situation, have been highly
advantageous to both parties ; but when its terms came
to be discussed, it was soon perceived that the Venetians
designed, under cover of an alliance, to render the Order
entirely tributary and subservient to themselves. Their
offers were, therefore, peremptorily declined; but never
theless, when the storm actually burst upon the shores
of Negropont, the Rhodians hastened to despatch to
their assistance a squadron, under the command of
D' Aubusson and Cardonne. Any benefit which might
have accrued to the beleaguered island from the aid
thus proffered, was rendered futile through the craven
cowardice of Canalis, the Venetian admiral ; who, at a
critica,l moment, when the combined squadron of which
he was the commander might have rendered the most
important assistance to the besieged, abandoned them to
their fate without a struggle, and left the island in the
hands of Mahomet.
The fall of Negropont would indubitably have been
followed without delay by the siege of Rhodes, but, pro
videntially, the Knights were permitted a little longer
respite, owing to a war having broken out between the
Ottoman sultan and the shah of Persia, The latter
potentate had entered into a league with the Christian

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 331
powers most interested in the preservation of the inde
pendence of the Levant, to check the aggressions of
Mahomet, which were equally dreaded on his Asiatic, as on
his European, frontier. In order to place his army on an
equality with that of his enemy, the shah, who was very
deficient in artillery, had obtained from Europe the as
sistance of a large body of gunners and cannon founders,
by whom that branch of his army was materially
strengthened ; so that he was enabled to ere long
assume an attitude of opposition against his formidable
neighbour. During the lull caused by the appearance of this new
ally, John Orsini died, in the year 1476, at so great an
age, that during his later years, his rule over the Order
had been little more than nominal ; the commander,
D'Aubusson, who had latterly been raised to the rank
of Grand-Prior of Auvergne, having been in reality the
supreme director of the government. It is a curious in
cident, in reference to the last hours of Orsini, that a
few months prior to his decease, he was taken with a
syncope, during which his attendants, imagining that he
was dead, made every preparation for his funeral ob
sequies, and he would most undoubtedly have been
buried alive, had he not fortunately shaken off the attack
prior to the solemnisation of the funeral rites. His re
suscitation was, however, but of short duration ; an attack
of dropsy carrying him off two months later.
During these years of his lieutenancy, D'Aubusson
had not been idle in adding to the defences of the city
of Rhodes. Three new towers were constructed in the
enceinte, and a huge chain was placed at the entrance
of the harbour, by which its ingress might be blocked
at will. To provide for the large expenditure entailed

332 A HISTORY OF
by these works, the treasury of Rhodes was driven to
have recourse to every possible shift. Amongst other
measures taken for this purpose, the council appropriated
in their present emergency a quantity of old plate,
which was lodged in the sacristy of the cathedral of
St, John, and which bore the arms of Elyon de Vil
lanova, by whom it had been presented to the church.
It was promised that, on the arrival of less troublous
times, this gift should be restored, and that, in the
meanwhile, it should be considered as a loan, rendered
justifiable by the urgency of the case.
The election of a successor to Orsini was little more
than a matter of form. This was not a time when either
petty jealousies or local interests could be permitted to
interfere in the nomination of a chief, under whose gui
dance it was generally felt that the fortunes of the Order
would be called upon to withstand the powerful attack
which had been so long preparing against it, and on
whose judgment it mainly depended whether they should
ride out the withering tempest unscathed, or be for ever
overwhelmed in its furious onset. There was one name
upon every tongue, and it was that of a man who had
already shown himself well worthy of the confidence so
universally placed in his powers, so that when the coun
cil announced to the expectant fraternity the name of
Peter d' Aubusson as their new chief, the decision was
greeted with shouts of acclamation, which testified how
fully that selection had met with public approval.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 333

CHAP, XL
THE FAMILY OP d' AUBUSSON. — DESCRIPTION OP EHODES. — THE
THREE RENEGADES. — ARRIVAL OP THE TURKISH ARMY AT RHODES.
— FIRST ATTACK ON THE TOWER OP ST. NICHOLAS  BKEACH
OPENED IN IHB jews' QUARTER.  ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION
OF THE GRAND-MASTER.  SECOND ATTACK ON THE TOWER OP
ST. NICHOLAS  SECOND ADVANCE AGAINST THE JEWS' QUARTER.
 EXECUTION OP MASTER GEORGE.  LAST ASSAULT OF THE
TURKS, AND ITS REPULSE BY THE KNIGHTS. — CLOSE OP THE
SIEGE, AND EMBARKATION OP THE OTTOMAN ARMY.
The family of Peter d' Aubusson was one of the most
ancient in the province of Auvergne, having become
ennobled during the ninth century, since which period
it had given forth many offshoots whose names have
been recorded in contemporary history. The ramifica
tions of this family have included within their limits a
connection both with the dukes of Normandy, and also
with the Saxon kings of England ; so that, although a
Frenchman by birth and education, there must ever
exist a sympathy for his high name and gallant achieve
ments on this side of the channel. Long before he had
become elevated to the supreme dignity which he now
held, D'Aubusson had rendered himself indispensable to
his Order, and the public confidence in him had been
raised to such a pitch, that his followers were prepared
to yield him the blindest obedience upon all occasions.
The city of Rhodes, at this time, was a very different
place from what it had been when first torn from the hands

334 A HISTORY OF
of the Turk, in the commencement of the fourteenth
century. Since that period, the Knights of St, John
had lavished all those treasures with which their Order
had been endowed, partly in the construction of works
of defence, as perfect as the engineering science of those
days could devise, and partly in the decoration of their
town, replete as it was in natural beauties, with those
magnificent buildings, the ruins of which yet remain to
attest its grandeur. Conspicuous among these were the
Grand-Master's palace, in itself a citadel, and the church
of St. John, whose mouldering relics are still the admi
ration of all true lovers of architecture.* The situation
of the town was on the sea-shore, embracing within its
circuit the two harbours known as the outer and the
inner port. The outer port was formed by a long strip
of land running in a north-easterly direction, and jutting
out into the sea, so as to enclose between it and the shore
line a very sheltered and commodious anchorage from
all but northerly winds. On the rock at the extremity
of this neck of land stood the tower of St. Nicholas,
whose erection by Zacosta has been already mentioned.
This tower, the first object which greeted the pilot on
nearing the shores of Rhodes, was justly considered the
most important point for the defence of the town. Its
position, surrounded as it was almost entirely by sea,
rendered it difficult of attack at all times ; and from
sudden surprise, or a coup de main, it might be consi
dered perfectly secure. The inner port was enclosed
* Unfortunately, the severe earthquake which visited the island
of Rhodes in October 1856, destroyed a vast number of the ruins
which, till that period, were standing in a good state of preservation,
and swept away nearly the last relics of that fraternity whose deeds
have rendered the locality famous.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 835
by two moles, running respectively in a northerly and
easterly direction, so as to enclose within their shelter
an expanse of water nearly circular. At the extremi
ties of these moles had been reared two other towers,
named St, Michael and St, John, which, together with
the tower of St, Nicholas, may be said to have con
stituted the principal strength of the place on its sea-
face. It has been a matter of much mystery, and, con
sequently, of considerable dispute, upon which of these
three points the far-famed Colossus of Rhodes, one of
the most extraordinary of the seven wonders of the
world, actually stood. Tradition has generally pointed
to the two rocks of St. Michael and St. John, affirm
ing that the statue was reared with one foot upon
each of these points, and that vessels entering the
harbour were enabled to pass in full sail between its
legs. Without wishing in any way to throw a slur
upon the colossal proportions of this miracle of ancient
art, and with all due deference to the grandeur of
conception evinced by its originator, the probabilities
of this site are not great. If, as was most likely, the
statue had been erected as a mark of guidance to
vessels approaching the harbour, the rock of St.
Nicholas would have been a much more natural and
suitable site, and the dimensions of the figure might
well have raised it to the dignity of a wonder of the
world, without claiming for it a stride of fifty fathoms.
The land defences of the city consisted of a double
rampart, subdivided by thirteen towers, and five bas
tions ; the protection of which was allotted to the
different languages in the following order: com
mencing at the north, on the spot where the pro-

336 A HISTORY OF
montory of St. Nicholas joined the main land, came
the language of Germany ; and then in succession those
of Auvergne, England, Aragon, Provence, and Italy,
The sea-face, constituting the inner line of the harbour,
and which was also protected by a strong rampart, was
confided, one-half to the language of France, and the
other to that of Castile and Portugal, The form of
the town, when thus encircled by its ramparts, partook
very much of that of a crescent, in the upper horn of
which dwelt the aristocracy of Rhodes. Here were
the various inns of the languages; huge piles of
buildings, having in their appearance much that was
palatial, and which, in conjunction with the churches,
and dwellings of the aristocracy, gave to that por
tion of the town a very imposing air. The lower
town was much more thickly peopled, and its buildings
were of a vastly inferior description : still it was
regular and well built, and presented that thriving and
bustling appearance which invariably denotes a com
mercial town at the acme of its prosperity. As is the
case in all Eastern cities, the Jews dwelt in a quarter set
apart for themselves, in the south-eastern corner of the
town, where they were covered by the ramparts of the
language of Italy.
The amazing fertility and luxuriant vegetation of the
island had converted the country, outside the walls, into
one vast garden. Far as the eye could reach, there ap
peared on every side fields, groves, and orchards,
clothed in all the brilliancy of summer verdure ; whilst
from the summit of St, Stephen's hill, an eminence
which overlooked the town from a short distance on the
western side, the ground stretched away in a gradual
descent towards the foot of the ramparts, broken, how-

I^tindrol^boclie.

3itjpj«flumTlm« gioann^ i^^ger^nmi ^Uic'Ci:iKc^)ccv}.^^ii.)^nj,^ciS

Facsimile of an old cut of Rhodes.

[To face p. S.% of Vol. T.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 337
ever by hillocks and undulations, which, in their
pleasing variety, gave life and animation to the land
scape. Here and there on every side the ground was
dotted with chapels, summer-houses, and other rustic
buildings, to the great enhancement of the pictur-
esqueness of the scenery; but, unfortunately, highly
detrimental to the defence of the town, D'Aubusson
had, it is true, exerted his power with no sparing hand
to sweep away the most obnoxious of these buildings,
and nothing short of a stern sense of the urgency of
the case, and a blind confidence in his unerring judg
ment, would have enabled him to enforce his orders.
Still, however, much remained to afford cover to an
advancing foe, so that, to quote the quaint language
of Mary Dupuis, himself a member of the Order, who,
although not actually present at the siege, arrived there
almost immediately afterwards, and wrote its history
from the facts which he gleaned from the actors in it,
" around the city of Rhodes lay the most admirable
country in the world for carrying on a siege, for all
around the said town there were numerous gardens,
filled with little churches and Greek chapels, with old
walls, and stones, and rocks, behind which cover could
always be found against the garrison, to such an extent,
that if all the artillery in the world had been inside the
town, it could do no harm to those that were without,
provided they did not approach too close,"
The use of artillery had been too recent an intro
duction, and was as yet in far too crude a state for the
disadvantages of the dominant hill of St. Stephen to
have become properly appreciated by the defenders of
Rhodes, Had it been otherwise, we may rest assured
that to the keen eye and the commanding genius of
VOL. L Z

338 A HISTORY OF
D'Aubusson such a weak point would have become at
once apparent, and its retention by the garrison assured,
by the construction of a powerful detached fort. In
the present day, and with the present power of artillery,
the occupation by a besieger of an eminence so situated,
Avould necessarily in a few days have involved the re
duction of the place ; but in those times it was very
different, and from the fact that not only the siege was
unsuccessful, but also that the hill of St. Stephen was
never used by the Turks for battering purposes, we may
gather that the Grand-Master was guilty of no omission
of engineering prudence, in neglecting to occupy the
post on behalf of his garrison.
Such Was the town and such the general aspect of the
island, which, after having been kept for a space of
nearly forty years in a state of perturbation and alarm,
was destined almost immediately to witness that storm
of Infidel invasion burst over its head, which had been
so long impending. Once again did D'Aubusson pen a
circular to his grand-priors, urging upon them the im
mediate transmission of reinforcements and supplies. A
copy of this document is still in existenee amongst the
papal archives, and there is something very thrilling and
exciting in the plain manly language in which his de
mand is couched. Without straining after effect, or the
slightest display of oratorical power, he appeals with
such earnest and manly simplicity to the chivalry still
existing in every knightly bosom, that no wonder was
it his call was responded to by enthusiastic crowds from
every priory in Europe. Not only members of the
Order, but noble knights and valorous soldiers, who
trusted to win renown in the struggle that was impend
ing, although they were serving beneath a banner to

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 339
which they owed no peculiar obligations, crowded to the
scene of anticipated strife, and gladdened the gallant
heart of D'Aubusson by the constant acquisition of
some of the noblest warriors in Europe, to swell the
ranks of his dauntless garrison. Foremost amongst
these was his own elder brother, the Viscount de
Monteuil, who at the head of a considerable body of
retainefs, volunteered his services at this crisis ; and
was, by the unanimous voice of the council, elected to
the post of captain-general, which he promptly accepted,
and in which he did knightly service, under the supreme
direction of his younger brother.
Whilst, however, the Knights were thus preparing
themselves at all points to meet their foe, Mahomet, on
the other hand, disappointed at perceiving that his de
signs had been fathomed, determined if possible to blind
the fraternity as to the imminence of their danger, and
with that view directed his son. Prince Zizirn, for his
pride prevented him from appearing himself in the ne
gotiation, to submit proposals for a peace to the Grand-
Master. In this project Mahomet had two objects in
view : on the one hand, he hoped to lure the fraternity
into a false sense of security ; and on the other, he
trusted, by the selection of a fitting agent, to combine
the services of a spy with those of an ambassador.
Under his directions, the prince selected as his envoy a
renegade Greek, who on the capture of his native island
of Eubea by the Turks, had embraced Islamism, in the
hope of bettering his fortunes. This man, whose name
was Demetrius Sophiano, possessed all the cunning and
aptitude for intrigue which have ever been the pre
dominant characteristics of his race, and proved him
self a most valuable tool in the hands of his new eni'
z 2

340 A HISTORY OF
ployer. In matters of diplomacy, however, Mahomet
had in D'Aubusson to deal with a man who was fully
his equal, and whose extensive system of espial had
rendered him fully acquainted with the real motives by
Avhich the Ottoman sultan was actuated. Perceiving
that a short truce would give time for such reinforce
ments to arrive as were still lingering on the way, he
yielded a ready assent to the propositions of Demetrius,
merely taking objection to the question of tribute, in
which he averred he was not authorised to treat without
special reference to the Pope. Whilst, therefore, this
reference was being made, he proposed that a temporary
truce should be concluded, during which the commerce
of both nations should be freed from aggression. This
proposal was at once accepted by Mahomet, who imagined
that he had succeeded in throwing the enemy off their
guard ; and was only undeceived when he discovered
that D'Aubusson was taking advantage of this temporary
lull to render yet more complete his preparations for
defence. Demetrius was by no means the only tool that Ma
homet found ready to his hand at this crisis. In fact, a
man who like the Ottoman sultan was destined to sway
an empire to which constant accessions were being made,
through the lust of conquest, must have found frequent
necessity for the services of traitors ; and as ample re
muneration and rapid advancement were sure to await
the successful informer, there were never wanting about
his court men who had that to sell which it was his
interest to buy. His intention of attacking the island of
Rhodes upon the first favourable opportunity had become
so generally known, that accurate information as to the
fortifications and general locality of the town was con-

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 341
sidered a highly marketable commodity, and all persons
who were in possession of it hurried to Constantinople,
in the hopes of realising a high price for the article.
Demetrius had, during his visits to Rhodes, made him
self as well acquainted with the general outline of the
works as his position admitted, and doubtless received
ample compensation for his vigilance ; but there were
two other men who at this time came forward to contest
with him the palm of rascality, and to share its dis
graceful fruits. One of these was Antonio Meligala,
a Rhodian, who having expended his patrimony in de
bauchery, sought to restore his ruined fortunes by
abandoning Christianity and taking service with the
Turk. Some writers assert that he was a Knight of St.
John, and had been stripped of his habit, owing to the
shameful recklessness of his life. However this may be,
it is very clear not only that he resided in Rhodes, but
also that he carried away with him a very accurate plan
of the place. Whether he received any reward for this
act of treachery has not been recorded in history, but it
matters little, for he never enjoj^ed the results, having
died of a loathsome disease during the transit of the
besieging force to their point of attack.
Another and far more gifted traitor presented himself
in the person of George Frapant, commonly called Master
George. This man, who was by birth a German, had
been trained as an engineer, in which science he at
tained a marvellous perfection, and has been described
by enemies, as well as friends, as a man of surprising
genius and admirable skill. In fact, the historians of
the Order, even whilst heaping the most grandiloquent
abuse upon the unfortunate head of poor Master George
for his rascally treason towards themselves, cannot
z 3

342 A HISTORY OF
refrain from drawing attention to the brilliancy of his
talent, Caoursin calls him a man of the most subtle
ingenuity, whilst the honest soldier, Mary Dupuis, after
recording of him that he was an excellent director of
artillery, proceeds to dilate on his personal advantages
as " a fine fellow, well formed in all his limbs, and of a
lofty stature, with great gifts of language, being both
willing and entertaining." These opinions are re
echoed and endorsed by Bosio, Naberat, and Vertot ;
subsequent historians, whose opinions were probably
formed from the author's already quoted, and therefore
not of equal value ; still, however, enough has been
said to prove that Master George was no ordinary man,
and the admirer of talent and genius must ever regard
with regret the misapplied powers and perverted ener
gies of this gifted renegade.
The plans and designs which this trio of traitors
submitted to Mahomet were accompanied with such
tempting descriptions of the unprepared state of the
island, the decay of the fortifications, which they averred
were old and crumbling, and the paucity of its garrison,
that he at once decided to carry out his long-cherished
project. The chief command of the forces destined for
the operation, was entrusted to a fourth renegade, a
Greek of the Imperial house of Paleologus, who at the
capture of Constantinople had forsworn his religion,
and taken service under Mahomet, With his new
master he rapidly gained honour and advancement
from the zeal with which he was ever ready to per
secute his former faith, and as the Knights of Rhodes
had in particular been distinguished by his bitterest
animosity, the sultan deemed that he would be the
fittest agent to achieve their destruction. This nomi-

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 343
nation was by no means distasteful to Paleologus Pasha,
(for such was the dignity to which he had attained in
the Turkish service), as owing to the seductive and
flowing accounts which the renegades had given of the
facilities of the enterprise, he was most anxious to
secure the opportunity, which success would afford him,
of raising himself yet higher in his new profession.
Whilst preparations were thus commencing on the
Ottoman side, the Knights were on their part taking
the last measures which they conceived necessary for
ensuring their security. At this critical juncture they
were gladdened by a proposal from the sultan of Egypt
to enter into an alliance with them. This prince be
held with a jealous eye the impending attack of his
powerful Eastern neighbour on the island of Rhodes ;
nor did it suit his policy that that island should fall
into the hands of one already too mighty for his safety.
An alliance was speedily concluded whereby the Knights
were secured from any aggression on the side of Egypt
during their struggle with the Turks, and were also
enabled to draw large supplies of provisions from their
new friends. One measure was still considered neces
sary to render their security more complete, and this
was temporarily to remove from the powers of D'Aubus
son those checks and restrictions with which the jea
lousies of preceding ages had always fettered the
Grand-Mastership. Now that they were led by one in
whom they had such unbounded confidence, and when
the times required that he should act with a promptitude
and an energy unattainable under such a regime, they
unanimously agreed to free him from its yoke, and to
grant him the unlimited authority of a dictator, until
the troublous hour was past. Once before, it will be
z 4

344 A HISTORY OF
remembered, had the same step been taken, and then
with the happiest results ; it was, therefore, with the
more readiness that they again resorted to the measure,
having already experienced its successful operation.
D'Aubusson at first appeared unwilling to accept the
undivided responsibility thus imposed upon him, but
his reluctance, whether real or feigned, was speedily
overcome, and when the council broke up, it was an
nounced to the citizens that from that moment he was
their sole and indisputable chief. Never was authority
vested in hands more capable of exercising it, and the
same confidence which D'Aubusson felt in hiraself he
was at that critical moment able to impart to his
friends. The plans by which Mahomet proposed to carry out
his invasion were these : as a preliminary step, a fleet
was to be equipped under the command of Paleologus
Pasha, which was to make a descent upon the island,
commit such ravages as should harass and terrify the in
habitants, and in some degree exhaust the strength of
the garrison before the main struggle commenced.
Early in the ensuing spring the bulk of the army were
to march across Asia Minor, to the port of Physco, a
commodious harbour distant only eighteen miles from
the island of Rhodes; whilst the artillery and other
stores were to proceed to the same spot from Constanti
nople by sea. The pasha, after having harried the
Christians to the best of his ability, was directed to be at
the place of rendezvous at the appointed time, and join
ing his fleet to the combined force there assembled, was
to make his grand descent upon the point of attack.
In accordance with these instructions, Paleologus
sailed with a considerable squadron in the winter of

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 345
1479 ; and at once made a bold dash at the island of
Rhodes itself. Such precautions had, ho#rever, been
taken by D'Aubusson to prevent the disastrous effects
of descents such as these, by the construction of fortified
posts in various convenient localities, behind which the
inhabitants of the open country might in cases of alarm
find shelter, that the pasha gained but little by his move.
His troops effected their landing unopposed, but found
the country deserted, and the inhabitants, whom he would
willingly have carried away into slavery, secure from his
grasp. Whilst his troops were scattered in disorganised
bands, engaged in the vain search for plunder, a sudden
descent was made upon them by a body of Hospitallers ;
who, taking them by surprise and at an advantage, slew a
considerable number, and drove the remainder without
difficulty back to their ships.
The pasha, disgusted at this humiliating repulse,
sheered off from Rhodes, and bent his steps towards the
island of Telos, where stood a fort garrisoned by the
Order. This he attempted, after a few days' battering, to
take by storm, but was once again doomed to meet with
a bloody repulse. The fort was evidently not to be
captured by a coup de main, and Paleologus, crest-fallen
and humiliated, was fain to retire at once to Physco, there
to await the arrival of his army. A bad commencement
this to so great an enterprise, and an ill omen for its
ultimate success.
One morning towards the latter end of April, in the
year 1480, the sentinel stationed on the top of St. Ste
phen's hill descried the hostile fleet passing within sight
of the island. The alarm was at once given, and the
Grand-Master with his principal officers assembled on
the spot, to watch its onward progress. The critical

346 A HISTORY OF
hour was, however, not yet come, and the fleet, which
was bearing the artillery and other stores from Constan
tinople, made for Physco, their pre-arranged port of
rendezvous. Having there been joined by the remainder
of their force, the army was embarked ; and the expedi
tion, which numbered 70,000 men, and 160 vessels, ex
clusive of small craft, arrived within sight of Rhodes on
the 23rd of May 1480. The warnings which had so
frequently been given on previous occasions had enabled
the Knights to make every preparation for this critical
moment. The inhabitants had all taken refuge within
the town, whither their property had likewise been con
veyed. Nothing that was capable of removal was left
to become the spoil of the invaders: even the unripe
corn having been reaped and borne away. An attempt
was made to prevent the landing, which was, however,
futile : the magnitude of his force and the vast number
of his ships enabling the pasha to effect a disembarkation
on several points at once.
His forces were encamped at the foot of St, Stephen's
hill, where he himself pitched his tent ; and, on the
following day, he despatched a herald to summon the
town to surrender. He was well aware that this de
mand would be rejected with disdain by the Knights,
but he had worded his message craftily with the view
of seducing- to his side the Greek inhabitants of the
place, to whom he promised a general amnesty and an
increase of privileges under the Turkish sway. His
designs, however, were frustrated by the staunch
courage of the Rhodians, who preferred staking their
ah with the fortunes of the Hospital, to the tempting
but dangerous offers of Paleologus, When we consider
that the population of Rhodes all professed the Greek

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 347
faith, it is a matter of wonder that they should have
remained loyal under the sway of an Order so emi
nently Roman Catholic as that of the Hospital, Either
the differences and jealousies between the rival creeds
must in those days have been far less embittered than
in later years, or the Order must have learnt a lesson
in religious toleration such as the professors of their
faith have never been celebrated .for practising, and
which in those times could have found an existence in
no other part of the world. There are facts which show
that both of these causes must have operated to pro
duce such laudable results. As a proof that the dif
ferences between the two religions were then by no
means so marked as at present, may be mentioned the
fact that a miraculous image of the Virgin, which was
held in the highest esteem by the Knights, was, during
the siege, lodged in a Greek chapel, where it received
the promiscuous devotion of both sects. This image
had been brought by the Knights from Acre on their
expulsion from that city, and, after their arrival in
Rhodes, had been deposited in a chapel built for the
purpose on an eminence about a mile to the north of
the town. This hill was called Mount Philerme, and
the image bore the name of our Lady of Philerme.
When the approach of the Turks rendered this chapel
no longer a place of security, the image was brought
within the defences ; nor was any objection made to its
deposition within a Greek chapel by the members of
either faith. No surer token than this could be given
of the much greater unanimity and good fellowship
which must have then existed between the rival creeds
than can be at present found.
The Turks had no sooner established themselves in

348 A HISTORY OF
their camp than they commenced to make reconnais
sances in front of the waUs, It suited neither the policy
of D'Aubusson nor the temper of his garrison to permit
these approaches to be continued unchecked, A sortie
was consequently made by a chosen body of cavalry, led
by the Viscount de Monteuil in person, in which, after a
slight combat — little more indeed than a skirmish — the
Turks were driven back to their encampment. In this
affair Antonio Meligala, the second of the three traitors
who had hoped to reap such golden fruit from the
results of their villany, met his death ; his horse having
been killed, and he, encumbered with all his armour
being unable to disengage himself, the advancing squad-
drons of the garrison charged over his prostrate body
and trampled him to death in the melee. The Knights
in this struggle lost one of their number, a member of
the language of Auvergne, named Murat, who, having
advanced too far in the ardour of the moment, was
surrounded by spahis, from whom he received his death
wound, and by whom his head was borne away in
triumph on the point of a spear.
Meanwhile the pasha had been in close consultation
with Master George as to the point of attack upon
which he should decide. That worthy, whose keen eye
instantly comprehended the importance of the post of
St. Nicholas, suggested that the whole weight of the
besiegers' force should be thrown upon that point. To
this the pasha, who had every confidence in the opin
ions of the German, promptly assented, and a battery
was at once commenced within the gardens of the
church of St. Anthony : a convenient spot whence the
powerful battering train which had been brought with
the army might vomit its ponderous missiles against

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 349
the frowning rampart of St. Nicholas. The Knights,
on their side, anxious to impede the construction of so
obnoxious a work, opened fire upon the embryo battery
with some guns which they placed in the gardens of
the post of Auvergne, from which spot they were en
abled to enfilade the offending structure. Spite of all
obstructions the work continued to rise, — gabions, tim
ber, and other appliances being brought to bear to
hasten its completion ; and at length, all being pre
pared for their reception, three of the pasha's great
basilisks were seen to peep portentously through the
embrasures. These basilisks, of which sixteen had ac
companied the army to Rhodes, had been cast under
the directions of that most useful of men. Master
George, and were of such stupendous dimensions that
their very appearance might well spread dismay amongst
the ranks of the garrison. They were eighteen feet in
length, and were designed to cast balls of from eight
to nine palms in magnitude. It is not probable that in
those early times these enormous guns were fired with
a large charge of powder, or that they ranged for any
considerable distance. It appears likely that they
trusted more to the weight of the missile, than to the
impetus with which it was projected, for the desired
effect to be caused ; still it could have been by no means
a reassuring incident to the defenders of St. Nicholas
Fort to be battered incessantly with such gigantic artil
lery. The result speedily manifested itself ; although
the walls of the fort had been constructed with extreme
solidity, they were not capable of withstanding the
weight of metal which Master George had caused to be
hurled against them, and ere long a gaping breach on
the landward side marked the successful practice of the
cannoneers.

350 A HISTORY OF
Whilst this operation was being conducted, another
incident had taken place which materially affected the
fortunes of the wily German, In pursuance of a plan
laid down between himself and Paleologus, the dauntless
scoundrel — for with all his crimes it is impossible to deny
him the virtue of the most daring courage — presented
himself before the walls early one morning, and besought
admission into the town as a deserter from the Turkish
camp. Taken before D'Aubusson, Master George was
by no means lacking a plausible tale to account for his
appearance. Entirely sinking for the moment the awk
ward fact of his apostasy from the Christian religion, he
averred, with the most captivating ingenuousness, that
although he had been many years in the service of Ma
homet, his conscience would not permit him to assist in
carrying out the designs of that monarch against the
fraternity of Rhodes, and that finding himself unable in
any other manner to escape the obnoxious service, he
had determined upon the hazardous step of deserting
into the fortress, D'Aubusson had had too many deal
ings with men as wily and as plausible as Master. George
to give a ready credence to this tale of Christian re
morse. He knew too well that the day was past when
men made such sacrifices for their faith, and he also
knew what a fearful risk Master George would, if really
a deserter, be running in the event of the capture of the
place and of his falling once more into the hands of his
former employers, a risk which he httle thought Master
George's newly awakened zeal for the Christian religion
would prompt him to run ; whilst, on the other hand, it
appeared to him far more probable that the cunning de
serter was in collusion with the foe without. Treachery,
however, if treachery there were, was, under the cir
cumstances, best encountered by dissimulation ; and the

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 351
Grand-Master determined to glean what information he
could from the German's undoubted genius for war,
without trusting him with one iota that could in any
way be made available by the pasha. Master George was
welcomed as cordially as though no suspicions had been
aroused, but he soon discovered that there were those
in his train whose sole duty appeared to be to watch his
every motion, and to mark his every word. One or two
abortive efforts to search out the feeblest points in the
defences soon taught him that any further attempts in
that direction would inevitably bring a speedy destruc
tion upon his head ; and so, if he did not prove of much
value to the defenders, they at all events completely
neutralised all co-operation with the besiegers. On
cross-examination as to the force under the pasha, he
dilated with the most terrifying unction on its magni
tude and complete preparation. Their artillery, he said,
was of such gigantic calibre as had never before been
brought into the field, and on this point he certainly
spoke with some authority, having founded the cannon
himself. The army was numerous, well disciplined, and
amply supplied with stores and provisions of every kind,
and was moreover animated with the most fanatical
zeal to achieve the destruction of this bulwark of Chris
tianity. Cheering intelligence this, to be brought by a
deserter into a besieged town ; and the question naturally
arose, how came so long-headed a man voluntarily to
place himself in a position of such imminent danger;
whereupon Master George, mutely laying his hand upon
his breast, would plead the pangs of an awakened con
science with such earnest and apparent truth that many
were led to believe him sincere.
Meanwhile, the battery in St. Anthony's garden had
been doing its duty, and the confused mass of rubbish

352 A HISTORY OF
daily increasing at the foot of St. Nicholas' tower, as
well as the gaping breach in its walls rapidly enlarging
in dimensions, showed to D'Aubusson that further efforts
must be made, or the post would speedily be lost. Hur
rying to the spot as large a reinforcement as could be
contained within the enceinte of the work, he at the
same time prepared every obstacle his ingenuity could
devise to impede the successful operation of an assault.
Taking advantage of the ruined mass of masonry which
had been dislodged by the pasha's cannon, he with it
cast up a new defence across the mole. Small batteries
were made wherever they could flank the approaches to
the breach, and in the lesser harbour on the west of the
tower, where the water was very shallow, he sunk planks
of timber filled with large nails to impede the enemy
from wading across to the assault. Having thus done
all which his foresight could suggest to meet the im
pending blow, he calmly awaited the shock of the onset.
On the morning of the 9th June the alarm was given,
and a large squadron of the enemies' fleet was seen bear
ing down from the northward upon the devoted tower.
Arrived within a sufficient proximity to their destina
tion, the Infidels jumped overboard, and with loud shouts
of valour swarmed up the mole on every side, and made
a dash at the breach. Proudly conspicuous upon its
summit stood Peter d' Aubusson, arrayed in all the
panoply of his Order, whilst around him were the
flower of that chivalry from which the Turk had so
often recoiled in terror. Anxiously was the struggle
gazed at by both friend and foe upon the mainland.
The battlements overlooking the harbour were crowded
with citizens, eager to watch the progress of the fray ;
whilst on the brow of St, Stephen's hiU stood Paleologus

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 353
himself, in all the keen and intense excitement natural
to one with whom success would be everything, and
failure perdition. Amidst the smoke and dust, however,
little was to be seen,' though ever and anon, as a passing
gust of wind would raise for. a moment the dark veil
which over-canopied the scene of contest, might be dis
tinguished that same band, somewhat thinned perhaps
in numbers, and worn with toil, yet still standing in
proud defiance on their shattered wall, whilst at its base
were strewed the gory corpses of those who had fallen
beneath their invincible falchions. The same glimpse,
however, would show the Infidel, undaunted at the op
position thus offered to his attack, still swarming up the
blood-stained pathway, and striving to surmount that
obstacle which had proved fatal to so many of his
brethren. Throughout this eventful day, D'Aubusson retained
his post with the defenders of the castle ; utterly re
gardless of his own life, he was to be found wherever
the fray was thickest, or support most needed ; and his
exposure of his own life on this occasion was so reckless,
as to call forth the earnest remonstrance of his friends.
Having been struck on the head by a huge fragment of
stone, which destroyed his helmet, he coolly selected
another from the head of the soldier who was nearest to
him, and when remonstrated with by the commander
¦Carette, who urged upon him the value of his life at that
critical moment to the welfare of the Order, he replied
with a smile, " If I am killed, there will be more cause
of hope for you, than of fear for me ;" implying thereby
his opinion of that Knight's fitness to become his suc-
. cesser. At this point, whilst the fate of the day seemed
still to hang in the balance, the Knights brought some
VOL. I. A A

354 A HISTORY OF
fire-ships, which they had previously prepared, to bear
upon the galleys of the enemy ; the attempt was com
pletely successful; several caught fire, and the re
mainder, eager to escape from so imminent a danger,
drew off from the attack. At the same moment, the
garrison of St. Nicholas made a vigorous and united dash
at the breach ; the ladders were overturned, and such
of the foe as had gained a footing on the summit were
once more hurled headlong to its foot. The flanking
batteries, which had been constructed to bear upon this
point, poured a destructive fire upon the confused and
disordered mass which stood huddled at its base. Many
of their leaders had fallen, their fleet had abandoned
them, and they themselves were being mowed down by
a deadly fire from the ramparts. Can it be wondered at,
that under such an accumulation of obstacles, the de
termination of the assailants should at length give way ?
The mangled corpses with which the moat and breach
were covered, bore ample testimony to the determination
with which the attack had been persisted in ; but the
might of the Christian had proved too great for them,
and so at last, in a direful state of confusion, they sought
by a speedy flight to obtain shelter from the pitiless
storm of missiles which were being hailed down upon
their shattered battalions. The terror caused by the
fire-ships had been so great, that few of the fleet which
had borne them to the scene of action were now re
maining to carry off the discomfited survivors. Many,
therefore, were drowned in the vain attempt to cross
over to the mainland, and the remainder were borne in
shame and dismay from the scene of action.
The feelings of the pasha, as from the summit of St,
Stephen's hill he witnessed the untoward conclusion of

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 355
the fray, were far from enviable. His troops had
hitherto been taught to consider themselves invincible,
and the foe had not been found who could withstand the
shock of their determined onset. They had trusted that
as it had been with the turbaned warrior of the East, so
it would also prove with the mailed soldier of the cross ;
and they had now learnt their mistake at a grievous
cost. That breach, which, had it been guarded by a
Moslem garrison, would scarce have dared to offer the
slightest resistance, had, when crowned by these heroes
of the Hospital, rendered futile their boldest efforts, and
hurled them back discomfited to their camp.
The pasha, however, was not a man to despond at the
first failure ; and he was speedily devising a new attack,
under more favourable auspices. Conceiving that the
Knights were probably exhausting their utmost resources
in the protection of this point, he determined to break
ground in a new direction, where he might meet with a
less obstinate resistance. For this purpose, whilst
D'Aubusson was forming a triumphant procession to
return thanks to the miraculous image of Mount
Philerme, for the glorious success of the preceding day,
the pasha was moving his heavy battering train to the
southern side of the city. The Jews' quarter was selected
as the new point of attack ; and ere long the thunder
of artillery, and the shock of the projectiles hurled
against its massy battlements, marked the intention of
the besieger. The ramparts, at this point, were of ex
treme thickness, but at the same time of great age, and
therefore ill suited to resist the fearful battering to which
they were now exposed.
The pasha was not content to confine his efforts to a
A A 2

356 A HISTORY OF
single point, but at the same time harassed the garrison
by a general bombardment on all sides. From the huge
mortars, which formed a part of his siege train, he hurled
into the city gigantic fragments of rock, and other pon
derous projectiles, trusting thereby so to annoy the
inhabitants that they should be unable to protract the
defence with energy. He also poured a vast quantity of
light balls and other combustible ingredients into the
town, purposing therewith to set it on fire; but against
all these dangers D'Aubusson's ready genius was en
abled to provide a remedy. He created a temporary
shelter for such of the inhabitants as were not required
in the defence, by the erection of large sheds built close
under the walls, in such sites as would be as far as pos
sible out of range. Others took refuge within the vaults
of the churches, and similar places of security, so that
Paleologus Pasha appeared to gain little by his move,
beyond the expenditure of a vast quantity of ammuni
tion. True it is as Mary Dupuis records, that one
shot struck, the vaulted roof of the refectory in the
Grand-Master's palace, and that after descending through
the stone floor into the cellar, it there destroyed a hogs
head of that generous fluid wherewith D'Aubusson was
wont upon festive occasions to regale his friends. The
loss of the liquor appears to have made more impression
upon the mind of the annalist than the damage done to
the building, but if the casualties were confined to such
losses as these, the pasha would have done better to have
economised his powder. The danger of fire was averted
by an organised band, whose sole duty it was to watch
the flaming projectiles in their descent, and quench thera
promptly. This duty was rendered all the easier from
the incombustible nature of the town, which was com-

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 357
posed almost entirely of stone. The roar of this bom
bardment was so great, that it was heard from the island
of Lango, a hundred miles westward of Rhodes, to that
of Chateau Roux, the same distance eastward.
The state of the rampart in front of the Jews' quarter
soon became such as to render prompt measures necessary
for the safety of that point, D'Aubusson, therefore, at
once commenced the construction of a retrenchment which
should cover the exposed point. For this purpose he
levelled the houses in rear of the breach, sank a deep
ditch in a semicircular form, and behind this new
obstacle raised a brick wall, supported by a terrepleine,
and of sufficient thickness and solidity to resist the bat
tering engines of the foe. This work, which was of con
siderable extent, was pushed forward with incredible
rapidity. The Grand-Master himself set the example,
not only by giving general directions on the spot, but
by taking his own turn at the manual labour which was
necessary, handling the pick and shovel with that vigour
which he imparted to every duty in which he engaged.
The effect of this good example soon made itself apparent
in the increased zeal with which the wall was pushed
forward ; not only did the Knights and upper classes
amongst the Rhodians join vigorously in the work, but
also women and children, nay, even the secluded inmates
of the religious houses themselves casting off, at this
perilous crisis, the ordinary restrictions imposed upon
them by their profession, joined in the universal enthu
siasm, and performed the tasks of ordinary workmen.
The result of such unparalleled efforts speedily ndani-
fested itself in the rapid elevation of a new barrier, which
the pasha, after having completed the demolition of the
A A 3

358 A HISTORY OF
Jews' rampart, found extended in its rear, rendering
futile all the efforts he had made, and the vast quantities
of ammunition he had expended.
Up to this point Paleologus had made his advances
towards the capture of the place in an open and legiti
mate manner : now, however, finding himself foiled by
the determined bravery of the garrison, whose resistance
he justly considered as materially strengthened by the
personal energy and dauntless skill of their chief, he be
thought him of continuing the contest in a more subtle
and treacherous manner, using for his purpose weapons
common enough in the warfare of the East, but repug
nant to every feeling of true chivalry. By the assassina
tion of D'Aubusson, he trusted to remove the principal
obstacle to his success, and to carry out this sinister
object, he employed two deserters, the one a Dalmatian
and the other an Albanian, who had joined his army at
the commencement of the siege.
Whilst he was preparing his infamous scheme with
these wretches, a despatch arrived from Constantinople,
brought by Ali Pasha, in which he was informed that
Mahomet was himself approaching with a reinforcement
of 100,000 men, and a large park of artillery. It is
more than probable that this intelligence was completely
false ; still it obtained its object in raising the enthusiasm
of the besiegers to the highest point. The two deserters,
in furtherance of their project, presented themselves at
one of the gates of the city, with a plausible tale of
having been captured during one of the sorties, and of
having just succeeded in making their escape. This
story met with ready credence, and they were welcomed
into the town with the warmest congratulations. Their
first step was to spread the intelligence of Mahomet's

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 359
approaching arrival with overwhelming reinforcements ;
a piece of news which, as they intended, created the
utmost dismay throughout the garrison.
Certain Knights of the Italian and Spanish languages
carried their terror so far, as to form a cabal for the
purpose of inducing the Grand-Master to yield the
town before the arrival of their dreaded antagonist.
For this purpose they secured the co-operation of one of
his secretaries, an Italian, named Filelfo, who undertook
to be their mouthpiece. D'Aubusson, upon hearing
from his secretary what was passing, summoned the
malcontents into his presence, and with cutting sarcasm
informed them, that since they were in such terror of
Mahomet, they had his permission to leave the island,
and that he would himself protect their retreat ; " but,"
added he, with a stern glance, " if you remain with us,
speak no more of surrender, and rest assured that if
you continue your cabals, you shall meet with that fate
which you so justly merit," This combination of rail
lery and sternness had the desired effect ; the recusants
threw themselves at his feet, and implored him to give
them an early opportunity of effacing the memory of
their cowardice in the blood of the Infidel, Filelfo soon
discovered that his master's confidence had been with
drawn from him, owing to his participation in this
unfortunate affair, and was much distressed in conse
quence. The Albanian deserter, who had an acquaint
ance with him, deemed that he was probably now in
a mood when he might easily be rendered subservient
to their plot. Gradually and cautiously he endeavoured
to excite and stimulate his resentment at the neglect
he was suffering, and finding, as he imagined, that he
was succeeding in his object, he eventually unfolded the
A A 4

360 A HISTORY OF
entire plot, making the most brilhant offers to Filelfo,
in guarantee of which he showed him letters from the
pasha. The Italian, who was warmly attached to
D'Aubusson, and who felt that his present disgrace
was only a just punishment for his indiscretion, feigned
to fall into the views of the deserters, merely with the
intention of discovering their treachery, having done
which, he at once revealed the entire conspiracy to his
master. The immediate arrest of the would-be assassin
followed this disclosure, and his confession having com
promised his 'comrade, the latter was also seized, and
the guilty pair were both sentenced to instant execution.
The excitement of the garrison, upon learning the
treachery that had been designed against their beloved
chief was such, that they rushed upon the criminals,
and forestalling the just sentence of the law, tore them
in pieces in the fury of the moment.
Foiled in his attempt at a cold-blooded assassination,
Paleologus had once more recourse to open warfare, and,
disheartened at the ill success of his efforts against the
Jews' quarter, returned again to his first point of
attack, the tower of St. Nicholas. To facilitate the ap
proach of his assaulting columns, he constructed a large
floating bridge, which was to stretch from the Church
of St. Anthony to the rocks at the foot of the tower,
and sufficiently wide to admit of six men passing
abreast. Under cover of the darkness, a Turk succeeded in
fixing, at the extremity of the mole, a large anchor
beneath the surface of the water, through the ring of
which he pushed a rope, intending by its means to warp
the bridge across the inlet to its destination. This
operation, however, was not performed with that secrecy

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 361
and success which the wary Turk imagined had been
attained. An English sailor, by name Roger Gervase
(for history has recorded the appellation of this naval
hero who, even in those days, was found to maintain
the reputation of the British tar for gallantry and
hardihood) espied the proceeding, and quietly awaiting
the departure of the Turk, as soon as the coast was
clear, detached the rope from the anchor, and leaving
the former loose in the water, carried the latter in
triumph to the Grand-Master. D'Aubusson was so
gratified with the promptitude and decision of the
gallant tar, as he stood radiant and dripping before him
with his ponderous trophy still in his grasp, that he
rewarded him with a present of two hundred golden
crowns, wherewith it is to be hoped the heart of Roger
Gervase was duly gladdened.
The Turks, having completed the construction of the
bridge, made their arrangements for an immediate
assault. The former attack, the failure of which was
still rankling in their bosoms, had been undertaken in
broad daylight ; they determined, therefore, upon this
occasion to try the effect of a night surprise. The 19th of
June was selected for the important attempt, and about
midnight their various detachments were set in motion.
It had been arranged that, whilst the bridge was being
hauled into its position, a large body of troops, ship
ped for the purpose on board some of their smaller craft,
should approach the mole, and make a sudden dash at the
shattered tower, in the hope that perchance, through the
darkness of the night, they might take the garrison
unawares. The incident of the anchor had, however,
forewarned D'Aubusson that the moment of assault was
close at hand ; every step that prudence could suggest.

362 A HISTORY OF
or the engineering skill of the Grand-Master could
devise, had been taken to meet the impending shock ;
and through the darkness of that night there were keen
eyes peering in silent watchfulness on the crest of the
breach, whose vigilance it was vain for the Turk to
attempt evading. The first strain upon the rope,
wherewith the pasha had hoped to warp his bridge
across the creek, showed that his device had been
discovered, and the besiegers were consequently brought
to a stand-still at their very earliest step. Unwilling to
forego the advantages of his extensive preparations,
Paleologus decided upon proceeding with his attack,
notwithstanding the failure in this branch of the at
tempt. He caused the bridge to be towed to its desti
nation by a number of boats, and while this operation
was being conducted with laborious slowness, he gave
the signal for the advance of the troops embarked.
They had no sooner approached within sight of the
mole, than they were discovered by the garrison, and
the. alarm being promptly given, a desperate fire was
opened upon them from all sides. Secrecy being no
longer attainable, the Turks hurried from their boats,
and dashed at the breach, shouting the war-cry of their
nation. The same immovable phalanx which had before
withstood them with such success upon a previous
occasion, was now once again drawn up prepared for
their reception.
The struggle was carried on by both parties with equal
obstinacy and determination, but in the darkness of the
night little could be distinguished of the desperate combat
which was raging around the walls of the town. The
scene was ever and anon lit up by the flashes of artillery,
which poured its destructive fire upon the crowded

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 363
masses of the besiegers' battalions ; whilst the lurid
glare spread around by the Greek fire, plentifully
showered upon the assailants, added yet another terror
to the picture. Amidst the roar of the guns, the clash
ing of arms, the shouts of the combatants, and the
groans of the wounded, the strife continued with un
abated violence, presenting a spectacle to those who
watched its progress, at once awful in its grandeur, and
terrible in its excitement. As though to add to the
general horrors of the moment, the fire-ships of the
garrison were once again let loose upon the enemy's fleet,
towards which they drifted in a column of flame, bear
ing panic and confusion in their course. The early
light of a summer's dawn broke upon this scene of
savage strife, whilst success had as yet refrained from
declaring itself on either side. Guided, however, by
the momentarily increasing light, the artillerists of the
garrison were enabled to direct their fire with greater
accuracy, and speedily accomplished the destruction of
the bridge, which up to this point had been most useful
to the Turks for bringing up their supports. They also
succeeded in sinking four of the galleys, which, in spite
of the fire-ships, continued to hover round the point of
assault, whilst others bore testimony in themselves to
their unwilling contact with their flaming antagonists,
by the sheets of fire in which they were enveloped.
Throughout the assault the principal leader of the
Turkish forces had been a young prince named Ibrahim,
closely related to Mahomet, with whom he was a great
favourite. The daring and hardihood exhibited by this
youthful warrior had gone far towards maintaining the
vigour of the assailants, and although he had received
several wounds during the night, he had still maintained

364 A HISTORY OF
his post among the combatants. At this critical junc
ture, when his followers were commencing to quail
beneath the deadly fire poured upon them, he was struck
to the earth by a blow which deprived him of life, and
the Infidels of their leader. This loss decided the for
tune of the day; the breach was abandoned, the sea was
once again covered with drowning men, and the routed
relics of the pasha's force found a watery grave their
only alternative from the avenging sword of the Chris
tians. The Iqss of the Turks upon this occasion was be
tween two and three thousand, amongst whom were to
be numbered some of the best officers in their army, and
the impression made upon the survivors by this second
failure was so great as to render the pasha's hopes of
ultimate success highly problematical. He himself was
so dismayed and terror-stricken by the untoward events
of the night, that he confined himself to his tent for
three days, refusing either to see or be seen by the
captains of his host, D'Aubusson availed himself of the
respite thus obtained, to clear the mole of the mass of
corpses with which it was encumbered. Rare pillage
was there for his troops amidst the heaps of Infidels
who had on this spot met their end, and the costly
apparel, and jewels of gold and silver, snatched from
the lifeless corpses by whom they were no longer needed,
were a meet recompense to the hardy warriors who
had held their ground so well. Whilst an ocean grave
was considered a sufficient burial for the Turk, D'Au
busson was careful to inter with every honour such of
his own force as had fallen in the fray, and by the time
the pasha had recovered from his despondency, all
traces of the struggle had disappeared.

THE KNIGHTS OE MALTA, 365
After three days' seclusion, Paleologus became himself
again, and roused to a pitch of fury at the losses his army
had sustained, decided upon a more vigorous prosecu
tion of the siege, with a view to avenge his defeats, and
restore his character in the eyes of his master. Return
ing once more to the northern side of the city, after
having in disgust abandoned all further attempts upon
St. Nicholas, he commenced the construction of a
battery on the edge of the ditch, opposite the retrench
ment in the Jews' quarter. Here was an opportunity
for the disgraced Knights of Italy to recover their fair
fame in the eyes of their chief. By means of a secret
communication, they descended in the dead of the night,
to the number of fifty, into the bottom of the ditch, and
thence by means of ladders, silently ascended the coun
terscarp, and rushed impetuously into the progressing
battery. The Turks, taken by surprise, offered but
little resistance, the struggle, which was rather a mas
sacre than a fight, lasted but a few minutes, and the
victorious Italians remained masters of the battery. The
uncompleted work was rapidly destroyed, the gabions
and other woodwork set on fire, and the gallant little
band, having utterly destroyed the lodgement of the be
siegers, returned triumphantly into the town, bearing
upon the points of their lances the heads of such antago
nists as had fallen in the fray. This brilliant achievement
deservedly restored the actors in it to the good graces
of D'Aubusson, who felt, that from men capable of such
deeds he had nothing further to fear on the score of
pusillanimity. The pasha was likewise taught by this incident, that in
conducting an attack against such vigorous and experi
enced foes as the defenders of Rhodes, he could not with

366 A HISTORY OF
impunity neglect any of the orthodox measures of advance,
tedious though they were, by which greater security was
to be attained. Opening his approaches in a more me-
thodical and scientific order, and driving galleries under
ground to the edge of the ditch, he gradually regained
that point in comparative security from whence he had
been so rudely ejected. From these galleries he caused
to be poured into the ditch so vast an accumulation of
rubbish, that it gradually became filled to an extent,
that rendered it no longer an obstacle to his attack.
The energies of D'Aubusson were taxed to the utter
most to resist this new and most threatening approach.
In the dilemma he bethought him of Master George,
whose proceedings during this eventful siege had been
so closely watched, that he had become, if useless as a
friend, at least innocuous as a traitor. Mysterious
arrows had more than once been shot into the town,
bearing on them billets, warning the garrison to- beware
of Master George, Opinions were divided as to the
object of these missives ; some regarding them as the
emanations of a foe who, irritated at the deserter's
abandonment of their cause, was anxious to achieve his
destruction at the hands of his new friends ; others again,
amongst whom was the Grand-Master, considered the
caution a deep-laid piece of cunning on the part of the
pasha, in order that by evincing this apparent animosity
against the German, the garrison might be more ready
to look on him with favour.
Whatever might be his private opinion regarding
Master George, D'Aubusson was determined on the
present occasion to avail himself, as far as practicable, of
his scientific attainments and engineering skill. From
the German, however, he could glean but little, his words

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 367
were desponding, and his recommendations few and
useless. One battery, indeed, of which he had strongly
recommended the construction, proved an egregious
failure ; thereby much irritating the minds of the garri
son against him. His hesitation and obvious reluctance
to aid the defence in any way, strengthened materially
the suspicions which were afloat, and rendered a new
scrutiny into his objects and conduct advisable. Sum
moned before the council, he hesitated, prevaricated, and
eventually contradicted himself in many important par
ticulars ; upon this he was submitted to torture, in ac
cordance with the universal usage of those times ; under
the pressure of which a confession was extorted from him,
that he had entered the town with the traitorous intent
of rendering assistance to the pasha. Although a cer
tain cloud of mystery does undoubtedly hang over the
conduct of Master George, it being quite within the
bounds of probability that the confession, which was
extorted by the agonies of torture, was made merely to
gain him a temporary respite from the pains of the
rack, still there was that in his previous conduct and
general history, which renders it almost a certainty that
he was in reality the guilty wretch he confessed himself
to be, and that he deserved the fate which was in store
for him. In truth, he was the next day hung in the
public square, in sight of an applauding crowd of the
townspeople, and thus, by an act of righteous retribu
tion, died in the midst of the city whose destruction he
had plotted, the last of that trio of renegades, by whom
Mahomet had been invited to the prosecution of his
sinister designs against Rhodes, The pasha had all
along entertained the strongest hopes of assistance from
the crafty friend he had lodged within the town. Great

368 A HISTORY OF
was his disappointment, therefore, when he learnt the
fate to which that friend had been doomed. Of this
fate D'Aubusson was determined that he should not re
main long in ignorance, and so, adopting the method of
communication which the pasha hiraself had used, he
despatched a billet, attached to an arrow, into the Turk
ish camp, wherein he announced that the garrison had
accepted the caution so kindly impressed upon them by
their foes, and had taken the best possible precautions
against Master George, by hanging him out of the way.
The suspension of the traitor was, however, no pro
tection against the cannon which was thundering at the
ramparts, or the assault which was threatening at the
breach , To harass the enemy behind their trenches, D'Au
busson caused to be constructed a large wooden machine,
by which huge stones were hurled upon their works.
The rocks propelled by this engine were of such a pon
derous character, that as they fell upon the covered ways
which the Turks had constructed, they crushed them in,
and as Dupuis has recorded, " some Turk or other
always remained dead under its weight." The instru
ment whereby this pulverising process was carried on,
was by its hilarious artillerists facetiously termed the
tribute ; the rocks which it hurled, and which so highly
incommoded the besiegers, being the only tribute which
the Ottoman emperor was to expect from the city of
Rhodes. Whilst the Turkish miners were being ground to
powder by this new and most effective antagonist, the de
fenders had also commenced a little subterranean strategy
on their own side ; driving galleries beneath the breach,
they made openings into the ditch, through which they
gradually conveyed into the town much of the stone

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 369
with which it was being filled. This material was
transported to the retrenchment, to the increased solidity
of which it greatly contributed ; and the labour was
carried on so briskly under cover of the night, that the
deposit which the Turks had made with such great
labour commenced to sink into very dwarfish dimensions.
For some days the foe were unable to comprehend the
cause by which their labour was being neutralised, but
the robbery became at length too marked to escape de
tection ; and the pasha foresaw, that unless he gave a
speedy assault, the road by which he purposed entering
into the town would be carried away en masse. Prior
to making the attempt, which experience had taught
him must, even if successful, cost him the lives of
many of his bravest troops, he endeavoured once more
to obtain, by a peaceful capitulation, that which he was
determined, if necessary, to seize by force of arms, A par
ley was demanded in his name, to which the Grand-Master
readily consented ; not with any idea of acceding to the
terms which would probably be proposed, but merely to
gain time for the strengthening of his retrenchments.
The following day was appointed for the interview,
and at the hour named, the Turkish ambassador, Soliman
Bey, made his appearance at the edge of the ditch op
posite the breach ; D'Aubusson had nominated Anthony
Gaultier, castellan of Rhodes, as his representative on
the occasion, and as the breadth of the ditch divided
the negotiators, the conference was plainly audible to all
who were in the vicinity. It was opened by the Turk,
who after having paid a just tribute to the gallantry of
the defence, urged upon the Knights the propriety of
an immediate surrender : " You have," said he, " done
all that lay within the power of mortal men to avert
VOL. I. BE

370 A HISTORY OF
the catastrophe which is impending over you ; you have
immortalised your names by a defence unparalleled in
history, but do not carry that resistance too far ; let not
the madness of despair prompt you to protract your
efforts after they have become manifestly hopeless. The
breach within your wall is gaping wide, and invites our
assaulting columns ; forty thousand of the best troops
of the empire are eagerly awaiting the moment which is
to give you over into their power ; do not, by your
prolonged obstinacy, bring down upon your city the
inevitable calamities incident to an assault. Yield
yourselves to the clemency of our sovereign ; become his
allies, and your lives shall be spared, your property pro
tected, and you yourselves permitted to retain the
government of the island, in the strict bonds of friend
ship with us. If you refuse this offer, your lives will be
forfeited, your wives and daughters brutally dishonoured,
and your children sold into slavery ; your city will be
utterly destroyed, and the memory of it swept from the
face of the earth. Such is the inevitable fate of those
who persist in opposing the mighty Mahomet. Choose,
therefore, whether you will be his friends or his victims."
To this speech, so well calculated to excite both the
hopes and fears of the garrison, Gaultier responded in
terms of proud disdain. He assured the ambassador
that he was mistaken in supposing the town incapable
of further resistance : it was true, the ramparts were
breached, but retrenchments had been constructed
within their ruins, before which the assailants should
meet the same fate that had befallen those who had
twice vainly attempted the capture of St. Nicholas ; that
as regarded the offers of capitulation, the treachery of
the Turkish army in moments of triumph had been too

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 371
strongly marked and too frequently displayed to enable
the garrison to place any further reliance on their pledge.
That as to the alleged desire of Mahomet to be a friend
and ally to the Order, he had employed a most unusual
method for attaining that object : if he were in reality
desirous of entering into an alliance with them, let him
draw off his forces from the hostile attitude in which
they stood upon the shores of Rhodes, and let them
negotiate a treaty upon terms of equality. But if, on
the other hand, they were determined to become pos
sessed of the island, let them make their boasted assault
without further parleying ; they would find the garrison
ready to receive them, trusting in the power of God to
defend the right.
The resolute boldness of this reply taught Paleo
logus that he had nothing to hope for from negotia
tion. The audacity of the challenge, by which it
was concluded, aroused feelings of the most lively in
dignation and animosity throughout the Turkish hosts.
The Christians had dared an assault, and the pasha was
determined to carry the place at all hazards. In order
to incite his soldiery to the necessary pitch of valour, he
promised them the entire booty of the city; and the
certainty of capture became so assured, that sacks were
made, wherein to deposit the anticipated pillage, A vast
number of stakes were prepared and sharpened, for the
charitable purpose of impaling the garrison : whilst each
soldier carried at his waist a bundle of cords, wherewith
to bind the captives of his bow and spear. Matters
having been thus pleasantly arranged on the part of the
assailants, the signal of assault was awaited by them
with impatience. Before, however, venturing upon this
step, Paleologus opened a tremendous fire from every
B B '2

372 A HISTORY OF
available piece of artillery which could be brought to
bear upon the breach and adjacent ramparts. This bom
bardment was continued without intermission through
out the day and night preceding that on which the as
sault was to take place ; and its effect was so destructive,
that the garrison found it impossible to maintain them
selves upon the rampart.
During the night of the 26th of July, the troops who
were to commence the assault were silently moved into
their positions; the roar of artillery continuing with
ceaseless virulence. Owing to the impossibility of main
taining their ground upon the exposed rampart, the
garrison were unaware of this important step, nor were
any extraordinary measures taken to resist the impend
ing storm. About an hour after sunrise on the morning
of the 27th, the signal of assault was given by the firing
of a mortar. The attack was made upon several points
in the enceinte at once, but the main efforts were con
centrated upon the breach in the Jews' quarter: the
others being merely feints to distract the garrison
from the principal point. The roar of the signal mortar
was no sooner heard breaking the calm stillness of that
summer's morn, than the fierce war-cry of the Infidel
arose on every side ; and with the fell spring of the
tigress disturbed in her lair, they dashed at those shat
tered walls, which were the sole remaining bulwark of
the harassed garrison.
The severity of the fire, which the pasha had kept up
with unremitting energy for the preceding twenty-four
hours, had had the precise effect which he had designed.
Quailing beneath the withering and pitiless storm of iron
which was hurled against them, the garrison had been
driven to seek safety in more sheltered localities, and

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 373
when the assailants rushed through the breach, now so open
and exposed that a horse might have been ridden through
it, they found no opponents ready to resist the aggression.
In a few minutes, and ere the alarm had been given in the
town, the standard of Mahomet was waving on the crest
of the rampart ; and the Turks were pouring in a count
less throng through the defenceless gap.
Now was indeed a critical moment for the fortunes of
the Order, Hitherto they had maintained themselves
with a marvellous success : though many a hard fought
struggle had chequered the events of the preceding two
months, though there had been times when the obsti
nacy and determination of the attack had been such as
to make the fate of the city quiver in the balance, still
the dauntless front and the serried ranks of the indomit
able defenders had successfully withstood the tempest.
Now, however, in an ill-fated moment those serried
ranks were no longer at their post in the hour of need :
that rampart, which hitherto had been protected from
the polluting tread of the Infidel, was now swarming
with their hosts ; and the dreaded banner beneath which
they fought was waving triumphantly over the already
half-conquered city. In this disastrous conjuncture a
general panic appeared to seize the defenders. Men
ran to and fro in their dismay, scarce knowing where to
bend their steps, or how to resist the storm thus sud
denly burst upon them, A few moments more of this
perilous confusion and all must have been lost. Provi
dentially, however, for the fair fame of his Order,
D'Aubusson, ever watchful, and ever at hand, rushed to
the scene of contest. His presence instantly reanimated
his followers, and restored order and decision in those
ranks which but a moment before had quailed with dis-
B B 3

374 A HISTORY OF
may. With the speed of lightning he dashed at the
rampart : its summit could only be gained by means of
ladders, and the first to ascend, sword in hand, was the
Grand-Master, At this moment might have been witnessed the
unusual spectacle of the garrison converted into assail
ants, and endeavouring to recover by escalade that ram
part which had so long been their own bulwark, but
which was now torn from their grasp, and become a
desperate standing point to the foe. Twice did D'Aubus
son attempt the ascent, and twice was he hurled from
the ladder, each time severely wounded. Undaunted
either by the repulse, or by the blood which was stream
ing from his wounds, he once again returned to the
attack. His Knights, he felt, must re-establish them
selves upon that fatal spot, or all was lost : better to die
pierced by the manly scars of war, than to survive the
loss of all which the Hospitallers held most dear. This
time he succeeded in establishing himself upon the con
tested wall, and being speedily joined by numerous com
rades, the struggle was renewed upon terms" of greater
equality. The mere numbers of the Turks acted preju
dicially to themselves ; they were so crowded together
upon the narrow rampart, that they found it impossible
to act with vigour ; swayed to and fro beneath the fierce
attack of D'Aubusson and his followers, they were
driven with resistless force backwards over the breach.
The pasha, however, was not prepared tamely to
yield the advantage he had once obtained, and a body of
veteran janissaries was despatched to support the yield
ing assailants, and once more regain possession of the
breach. D'Aubusson in his gilded armour was easily
recognisable in the throng, and Paleologus, who felt that

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 375
he was the life and soul of the defence, directed a chosen
body of this new reinforcement to forego all meaner
prey, and to devote themselves to a direct attack upon
the hero, so conspicuous at the head of his gallant band.
Dashing upon the Christians with a ferocity which had
so often before been the precursor of victory, and clear
ing for themselves in their impetuous onset a passage
through the mailed phalanx by which they were opposed,
they succeeded in reaching the spot where D'Aubusson
stood, dealing out death and destruction with the sweep
of his mighty brand. Hemmed in though he was on
every side by these new foes, he yielded not a step, but
maintained the unequal combat with an energy and a
pertinacity which marked the heroism of his blood. His
desperate situation was speedily discovered by his
brothers in arms, and a rush was instantly made to the
rescue with such impetuous vehemence, that the terror-
stricken Moslem was forced to yield, and their beloved
chief snatched from the certain death with which he had
been so imminently menaced ; not, however, before he had
been struck to the earth grievously pierced by three
new wounds.
Ere he was borne from the field, he had the consola
tion of seeing the enemy driven, like a flock of sheep, over
the blood-stained breach, and his own victorious gar
rison pursuing them with the edge of the sword. This
had, in fact, been the turning point of the struggle.
The panic having once established itself amongst the
assailants, spread with a rapidity which their disorgan
ised and overcrowded position rendered still more fatal.
Flying from the avenging weapon of the Christian, they
found their egress from the deadly breach blocked by
the tumultuous masses which the pasha had directed to
B B 4

376 A HISTORY OF
that spot. In this perilous predicament friend was not
distinguished from foe, and the most eager of the fugi
tives hewed for themselves a pathway to safety by the
indiscriminate slaughter of their fellow-soldiers. Num
bers, who were unable even by this means to escape
from the scene of strife, were hurled from the rampart
into the town, a drop of twenty feet, where they were
instantly massacred by the infuriated inhabitants. Mean
while, a deadly fire had been kept up upon the dense
mass congregated without the breach from every avail
able point in the adjacent ramparts ; and, as every shot
told upon so extended a body, the slaughter became
terrific. The struggle had now degenerated into a mas
sacre. Pursued by their excited and victorious enemy,
they were mown down like sheep, without the slightest
attempt at resistance ; nor was safety to be found even
within the limits of their own camp, whence they were
driven in headlong confusion, the great banner of the
pasha, which was planted in front of his pavilion, faUing
into the hands of the garrison.
The demoralisation of the besieging army was now
complete. After a succession of repulses, in each of
which the slaughter of his troops had been fearful,
Paleologus had concentrated all his power for one last
crowning effort. His plans had succeeded even beyond
his most sanguine expectation ; the garrison had been
taken by surprise at the critical moment ; the rampart
had been attained and occupied without a struggle ; and
the banner of the Prophet had waved in triumph on its
summit : yet even with all these advantages, the golden
opportunity had been lost ; his shattered battalions had
recoiled from the fiery phalanx to which they were ex
posed ; and a mere handful of Christians had sufficed to

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 377
overcome the very flower of his army. In spite of the
countless hosts with which his assault had been sup
ported, the effort had proved a complete failure; the
ditch had been choked with their mangled corpses, and
the panic-stricken survivors had ignominiously aban
doned the field. It was felt on both sides that such a
victory as this must be decisive, and that the siege of
Rhodes was virtually at an end.
It is curious to observe the different reasons assigned
by the historians of both sides, for the unlooked for
result of this extraordinary combat. The Turkish writer,
Khodgia Afendy, who has given a very detailed and
vivid account of the siege, coloured, however, by a
natural partiality for his own nation, asserts that the
sole cause of their failure was the avarice of Paleologus
Pasha, He states, that after having excited the cupidity
of his troops by the promise of an abandonment of the
entire town to their indiscriminate pillage, he at the last
moment, after they had established themselves on the
Jews' rampart, recalled that promise, and publicly pro
claimed that all the wealth of the city was to be reserved
for the use of the sultan. From this moment, says
Khodgia, the energy of the assailants declined visibly ;
feeling themselves cheated of their promised prey, and
having their anticipated wealth torn from their grasp,
at the very moment when its acquisition had appeared
the most secure, they were no longer in a frame of mind
to withstand firmly the impetuous onset made by D'Au
busson and his Knights, To this cause he attributes
their panic and the consequent failure of the enterprise.
The Christian historians, on their side, are equally at a
loss to account for their success by any of the ordinary
accidents of warfare ; they therefore, as was common in

378 A HISTORY OF
those times, and in their religion, sought for the agency
of a miraculous interposition to account for the happy
issue of the struggle. They record, that at the most
critical moment, when the Grand-Master was surrounded
and well nigh overcome by his assailants, there appeared
in the heavens a refulgent cross of gold, by the side of
which stood a beautiful woman clothed in garments of
dazzling white, a lance in her hand, and a buckler on
her arm, accompanied by a man dressed in goat-skins,
and followed by a band of heavenly warriors, armed
with flaming swords. Such a vision as this may well
have terrified the barbarous hosts by whom it was wit
nessed, and, as in matters religious a ready credence was
easily gained from the pious but ignorant multitudes of
those times, it soon became established as an acknow
ledged fact, that the safety of Rhodes was due to the
personal and visible interposition of the Blessed Virgin
Mary, and the patron saint of the Order, St, John the
Baptist, supported for the occasion by a chosen band of
the celestial host.
To modern readers, neither of these causes will be
deemed satisfactory. The tale of the Turkish Khodgia,
in itself improbable, does not tally with the actual fluc
tuations of the day, whilst that of the Christians merely
excites a smile at the credulity of our forefathers. To
D'Aubusson, and to him alone, must be attributed the
success, not only of that day, but also of the whole de
fence from the hour when the atabal of the Infidel first
sounded on the shores of Rhodes. His was the master
spirit that had guided every effort ; his was the eagle
eye that had ever comprehended at a glance the exi
gencies of the situation in the most critical moments ;
his was the fertile brain from whence were developed

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 379
those numerous schemes and devices by which the as
saults of the foe were rendered futile, and their insidious
treacheries overthrown. He had throughout been the
life and soul of the garrison. At one moment directing
the erection of a new defence ; at another wielding his
sword in the thickest of the fight, like the meanest sol
dier in his garrison ; nOw providing for the security of
the feeble and defenceless inhabitants whose safety was
committed to his charge ; and anon terrifying and over
awing the wavering and disaffected by the stern reproof
or angry glance : to each and every one of that gallant
band he was the father and support, and well was it for
them that it was not until he had struck the death-blow
to the army which was besieging them, that he himself
succumbed beneath the weapon of the Infidel,
Rhodes was now saved ; the troops of the pasha were
embarking in tumultuous haste, and with crestfallen
spirit, on board their galleys ; the liberated townspeople
were celebrating with enthusiastic joy the triumph of
the defence ; and Peter d' Aubusson, meanwhile, the
author of all this rejoicing, the rescuer of his city, and
the hero of his age, lay in his magisterial palace, uncon
scious of his own glory and his well-earned triumph,
prostrated by five different wounds, one of which had
by his physicians been pronounced mortal.

380 A HISTORY OF

CHAP, XII.
RESTORATION OP THE POETIFICATIONS OF EHODES AND EECOVEEY OF
THE GEAND-MASTER  PEEPAEATI0N3 BY MAHOMET FOE A NEW
SIEGE.  HIS DEATH AND THE DISPUTED SUCCESSION TO HIS EMPIRE.
 DEFEAT OF ZIZIM AND HIS FLIGHT TO EHODES. — DEFAETURE
FOE FEANCE  HIS EESIDENCB THEEE.— HIS EEMOVAL TO EOME
AND DEATH.  LAST DAYS OP PETEE d' AUBUSSON.  HIS DEATH AND
INTEEMBNT.— HISTOEY OF THE HAND OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST,
The embarkation of the pasha and his discomfited army
was witnessed by the harassed and worn out garrison of
Rhodes with feelings of the most lively satisfaction.
The inhabitants, after having been cooped up within the
limits of the town during the space of two months, were
naturally overjoyed at finding themselves again at
liberty, and free to seek once more those homes from
which they had been driven by the approach of the
enemy. This satisfaction was somewhat damped by the
aspect which the country surrounding the city presented
to their eager view. The devastation of the Ottoman
army, which, prior to abandoning its enterprise, had
ruthlessly completed the destruction of all which had
previously been spared, had created a scene of desolation
in the once happy homes of the Rhodian peasantry most
distressing for them to contemplate. The danger, how-
ever, from which they had just escaped, had been so
imminent, that their joy at the happy termination of

the KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 381
the struggle soon overpowered all feelings of grief at
the loss of their homes.
Vast numbers of dead had been left strewn upon the
plain by the retreating Moslems ; and the first step
necessary for the health of the island was to remove
these ghastly relics of the late warfare. The corpses
were therefore gathered together in huge piles and burnt:
the labour of burying them, owing to their numbers,
being too heavy for the inhabitants to undertake. Du
puis records that on this occasion the women of Rhodes
indulged in a little pardonable jocosity ; and that, in
witnessing the process of broiling to which the unfor
tunate Mussulman corpses were being subjected, they
observed that the Turks had become so fat from the figs
and other garden produce which they had ravaged during
their stay. The general joy was much increased as soon
as it became known that the Grand- Master, whose
wounds had originally been pronounced mortal, was
likely to recover; and when, after the lapse of a few
weeks, he had so far advanced towards convalescence as
to be present in person at the laying of the first stone
of a church to celebrate his victory, their satisfaction
was complete. This church was built at that spot
in the Jews' rampart where the last assault had been
made and repulsed, and was dedicated to St. Mary of
Victory, The news of the successful defence of Rhodes spread
throughout Europe like wildfire. With the exception
of Ferdinand, king of Naples, who despatched two
galleys freighted with succours for the beleaguered city,
which galleys arrived almost immediately after the
repulse of the Turks, no helping hand had been out
stretched to rescue the island. Now, however, when

382 A HISTORY OF
D'Aubusson had by the prowess of his own arm, and
that of his gallant and unaided fraternity, hurled the
discomfited Ottoman with disgrace from his shores,
a shout of exultation rang throughout Europe. When
the imminence of the danger was past, people began to
appreciate its extent ; had the Ottoman emperor suc
ceeded in planting his standard in triumph on the
ramparts of Rhodes, the road to Italy would have been
left completely open to his advance ; and his threat that
the green banner of the Prophet should wave over the
capitol at Rome, might, in all probability have been
carried into effect. The energetic and successful re
sistance of D'Aubusson in his island stronghold had
thwarted that prospect ; and Rome, rescued from her
peril, was proportionably loud in her expressions of
gratitude towards her deliverer, to whom she gave the
high-sounding title of " Buckler of Christianity,"
His first care, upon attaining to convalescence, was to
commence the restoration of the fortifications, which .a
constant battering for a period of eighty-nine days had
rendered completely ruinous. He also distributed re
wards of all kinds to the Knights who had so bravely
supported him in the struggle ; whilst, in one instance,
where the prior of Ireland, James Hetting by name,
had not only refused to join the ranks of his fraternity
at Rhodes, in the hour of peril, but had even neglected
to forward the amount of responsions for which his
priory was liable, that dignitary was deprived of his
office ; and Marmaduke Lumley, an English Knight who
had been desperately wounded at the siege, but had
afterwards recovered, was nominated in his place. To
the inhabitants generally, in consideration of the great
losses they had sustained from the ravages of the Infidel,

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 383
he gave free access to the public granaries, and likewise
exempted them from all taxation for several years.
Until this period, the people of Rhodes had been con
sidered by the Order as an inferior race, who held
towards them a position very similar to that of a serf
towards his lord. Now, however, that they had shown .
themselves not only faithful to their governors, but also
brave and devoted, during the most trying moments of
the siege, a general feehng sprang up that they should
be admitted to terms of somewhat greater equality.
The first Rhodian nominated to a post of any importance
in the government of the island was William Caoursin,
who, though not a professed Knight, was appointed
Vice-Chancellor, and ambassador of the Order at the
papal court. This dignitary has left to the world two
documents, which, although filled with the most pompous
and pedantic Latinity, forms nevertheless an important
and valuable addition to the history of his time. One
is an account of the siege of Rhodes, collected from
official sources ; although, as he himself says, " during
the siege the public acts were not written, but after the
victory was gained its history was compiled by William
Caoursin, Vice-Chancellor of the Order, which account
has been divulged by the press all over the world, pre
vious to which nothing had been recorded." The other
document is a history of the proceedings of the Order
during the years immediately subsequent, including the
romantic episode of the unfortunate prince Zizim, of
whom there will be occasion to speak shortly.
The Grand-Master himself also wrote an account of
the siege, which he forwarded for the information of the
emperor of Germany, and which in its perspicuity,
conciseness, and modesty, will bear a favourable com-

384 A HISTORY OF
parison with almost any despatch of later days.* It is
much to be regretted that no record has been kept of
the strength of the garrison during the siege, or of the
number and names of those who were killed. The
archives of the Order only give the names of those who
held official situations in the fraternity ; a very small
number as compared to the general total of those pre
sent. The list framed from these data consists of
ninety-two French commanders, comprising Knights of
all three languages ; thirty-five Spanish and Portuguese ;
thirty-five Italians; eight Germans, and five English;
together with eighteen chaplains and servants at arms
of the various languages. This list is necessarily most
incomplete and meagre ; only professing to include the
names of such as were dignitaries of the Order, and
even so but imperfectly ; subsequent researches have
extended the English list to fourteen, and even that is
presumed to fall very far short of the reality, f
* Vide Appendix No. 13.
f The fourteen English heroes whose names have been rescued
from oblivion are as follows : —
Fr. John Vaquelin, commander of Carbouch, killed.
Fr. Marmaduke Lumley, dangerously wounded; subsequently
prior of Ireland, vice James Hetting, displaced.
Fr. Thomas Bem, bailiff of the Eagle, killed.
Fr. Henry Haler, commander of Badsfort, killed.
Fr. Thomas Ploniton, killed.
Fr. Adam Tedbond, killed,
Fr. Henry Batasbi, killed.
Fr. Henry Anulai, or D'Avalos, killed.
Pr. John Kendall, turcopolier.
Fr. Thomas Docray, afterwards grand-prior of England.
Fr. Leonard de Tybertis.
Fr. Walter Viselberg.
Fr. John Rucht,
Fr. John Boswell or Besoel.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 385
The losses of the Turks have been very variously
stated; the most probable estimate being about nine
thousand killed and thirty thousand wounded. The
great bulk of this fearful list of casualties must have
occurred during their last repulse, when, in their flight
from the fatal breach towards their camp, they suffered
themselves to be mown down by thousands in their
panic, without offering the slightest resistance. Paleo
logus Pasha, after his humiliating discomfiture, could
expect but a very unwelcome reception from his dis
appointed master. Indeed, in the first transports of his
rage, Mahomet ordered him, together with several others
of the principal leaders of the army, to be bowstrung ;
but this stern decree was afterwards mitigated into
banishment to Gallipoli, where he remained in disgrace
until the death of the emperor.
Mahomet consoled himself for the unfortunate issue
of the enterprise, under the idea that his own actual
presence was necessary for the success of his arras, and
he commenced immediate preparations for the assembly
of a second and considerably augmented force, with
which he proposed to renew his attack on the island in
person. The news of this intention on his part, and of
the mighty preparations which he had set on foot, filled
the minds of the fraternity at Rhodes with well founded
alarm. The ramparts, behind which they had made so
stubborn a resistance, were in a state of ruin ; their
treasury was exhausted by the fearful expenditure
rendered necessary in order to enable them to main
tain that resistance ; and their ranks were thinned to a
lamentable extent by the casualties incident to so pro
longed a struggle. They felt, therefore, that in the
position in which they then were, a new siege, if pressed
VOL. I, CO

386 A HISTORY 01?
upon them before they had had time to restore them
selves to somewhat of their pristine strength, must end
fatally to their cause.
At this critical juncture, as though to add to the
calamities of their situation, the island was visited by a
succession of the most terrific earthquakes, accompanied
by a violent inundation of the sea. The result of this
convulsion of nature was the overthrow of many of the
principal buildings in the town, and of large portions of
the ramparts, which had been already shaken and
rendered insecure from the battering they had sustained
during the siege, A considerable portion of the tower
of St. Nicholas gave way at the same time ; so that the
city appeared more hopelessly indefensible than ever.
Many of the inhabitants, calling to mind the popular
tradition, that the island had originally sprung from
the sea, during one of those volcanic convulsions for
which the Levant has always been noted, commenced to
dread that the earthquakes then prevalent were the fore
runners of its equally sudden disappearance. Such a
complication of disasters might surely have dismayed
the stoutest heart ; and it required the utmost fortitude,
which even the heroic D'Aubusson could summon to his
aid, to bear him through the dreadful crisis.
Desperate as was his situation, and hopeless the pros
pect of resisting the gigantic force which Mahomet, with
rage in his heart, embittered by his previous disappoint
ment, was at that very moment assembling for his
destruction, he nevertheless continued to press forward
such repairs and restorations as his limited means, and
the brief interval left at his disposal, would permit.
Had Mahomet lived to carry his project into execution,
and had his mighty array once more stood before the

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 387
ramparts of that town, where so many of his nation
had already found a grave, he would have been met as
boldly and resisted as firmly as his lieutenant had been
in the previous year. That such resistance could have
been successful was, under the circumstances, hopeless ;
but Mahomet would have entered a city of ruins only
over the lifeless corpse of the last of its defenders.
Providentially however for the Order, in that hour of
trial this sad fate was averted from it. In his march
across Asia Minor, at the head of his forces, Mahomet
was taken suddenly ill of a colic, and died in the village
of Nicomedia, on the 3rd of May 1481. Great as had been
his destiny, and numerous his conquests, the haughty
chieftain scorned to enumerate their catalogue upon his
tomb ; but looking rather to the grand conceptions
which had been teeming within his ambitious brain
than to the acquisitions he had actually made, he
directed the following simple epitaph to be placed over
his grave: "My intention was to have captured Rhodes
and to have subjugated Italy."
The death of Mahomet, scourge as he had always
proved himself to his neighbours of every denomina
tion, was hailed with joy throughout Europe; and
nowhere more so, or with greater reason, than in the
Island of Rhodes. A sense of relief pervaded every
bosom ; and now that their implacable and potent
enemy was no more, they felt that the extremity of
their danger was indeed past, and from that moment
continued the labour of restoration with an energy
much stimulated by the feelings of hope which this
event had once again excited. Public thanksgivings
were offered up in the Conventual Church for the death
of the most redoubtable foe against whom the Order of
c c 2

388 A HISTORY OF
St. John had ever been called to combat ; and it was
then recorded, with feelings of very natural exultation,
that, spite of all his power and all his efforts, this con
queror of so many provinces had never, during the
whole course of his reign, been enabled to wrest a single
island, or even a single castle, from the domination of
the Hospital.
Mahomet's sudden decease brought with it that result
so common to newly organised empires, a disputed suc
cession. He had originally been the father of three
sons, Mustapha, Bajazet, and Djem, Zaim, or Zizim, for
by all three of these names has his youngest son been
called. His eldest son, Mustapha, had been strangled
by his order during his lifetime, for having violated the
wife of his favourite minister, Achmet Pasha; thus
leaving his tAvo younger sons, Bajazet and Zizim, to
dispute his empire between them, Bajazet was the
elder of the two, born prior to his father's elevation to
the imperial dignity. He was a man of quiet and
sedate habits, mild in character, and gentle in disposition.
For him the excitement of the camp and the tumult of
war had no charms. Although possessed of sufficient
ambition to make him desirous of ascending that throne
which he considered his birthright, his was not the
mind to have contemplated any extension of his empire,
such as that which had been his father's day-dream,
Zizim, on the contrary, young, ardent, and ambitious,
bred in a camp, and delighting in war, sought to usurp
his father's sceptre more that he might make it the
instrument wherewith to achieve future conquests than
for the quiet enjoyment of its actual dignities. Although
a zealous Mahometan, he was by no means bigoted in his
faith, and having during his youth been thrown in con
tact with the Order of St, John, whilst arranging a

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 389
truce on behalf of his father, he had conceived a warm
admiration for its members, and more especially for its
Grand-Master, D'Aubusson, Having been born subse
quent to his father's assumption of imperial dignity, he
considered himself his legitimate heir, as being porphy-
rogenitus, or born in the purple ; and was consequently
prepared to dispute the succession with his brother.
The career of this unfortunate prince is so interwoven
with the later years of D'Aubusson's government, that
it will be necessary to enter into some detail concerning
him ; the more so, since his miserable fate has cast a
slur most undeservedly upon the rule otherwise so bril
liant of that Grand-Master.
The rivalry which arose between the brothers for
the vacant throne caused a division amongst the
magnates of the empire at Constantinople, where the
relative claims of the two princes were warmly con
tested. Neither of the candidates were at that time in
the city ; but the faction in favour of Bajazet succeeded
in overruling the pretensions of Zizim's partisans, and
they crowned one of the sons of the former, a
child of thirteen years of age, named Coracut, as a
locum-tenens for his absent father. Bajazet, who im
mediately upon hearing of the death of Mahomet had
hurried to the scene of action, speedily arrived at Con
stantinople, where he assumed in person the imperial
dignity, and his claim was peaceably recognised by the
inhabitants of the city.
The news of this event reached Zizirn whilst he was
hurrying from the seat of his government in Asia Minor
towards Constantinople. Hastily collecting such troops
as were favourable to his cause, he pushed forward to
wards the town of Broussa, trusting by force of arms to
c c 3

390 A HISTORY OF
overthrow the government of his brother. Unfortu
nately for him, the chief supporter of his brother's claims
was the renowned chieftain, Achmet Pasha, a man whose
successful career and brilliant warlike achievements
had rendered him the idol of his army. It was this chief
who had, during the reign of Mahomet, captured the city
of Otranto, in which he had placed a garrison sufficiently
strong to enable them to maintain the place against all
opponents. The Neapolitans, however, terrified at this
advanced post of Islamism, so near to Rome, were en
gaged in its siege when the news arrived of the death of
Mahomet, At this moment, Achmet was in the act of
advancing in support of the town, with an army of
25,000 men ; but the garrison, dismayed at the death of
their sultan, and ignorant of the approaching succour,
surrendered to the Duke of Calabria without further
resistance, Achmet was consequently compelled to re
trace his steps with the army he had raised, and to return
to Constantinople, He arrived at that city at the
moment when the cabals of the rival factions were at
their height ; and the weight of his influence, backed as
it was by 25,000 men, when thrown into the scale on
the side of Bajazet, at once determined the result in his
favour. The new sultan no sooner heard that his brother had
raised the standard of revolt in the vicinity of Broussa,
than he despatched Achmet with a powerful army to
oppose him. Their first conflict terminated in favour
of Zizim, and at its close he entered the town, and caused
himself to be proclaimed as the Ottoman sultan. Upon
this Bajazet, arousing himself to meet the exigencies of
the case, advanced in person at the head of his army
against his brother ; and his forces proving vastly

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 391
superior both in point of numbers and discipline, he
succeeded in completing the overthrow of Zizim's army,
the young prince himself being compelled to seek safety
in flight. Accompanied by a very slender escort, he
extricated himself from the field of battle, and made his
escape into Egypt, where he was received with every
demonstration of respect and hospitality. Encouraged
by these friendly sentiments, he used every exertion to
induce the Sultan Kaitbai to embrace his cause. In this,
however, he was unsuccessful ; the sultan being unwil
ling to assist him in any other capacity than as a media
tor with his brother.
Whilst fruitless negociations were being carried on
on this subject, Zizim received an offer from Kasim Beg,
chief of Caramania, who had been despoiled of a large
portion of his territories during the reign of Mahomet,
to make common cause with him, and to use his best
endeavours to place him on the Ottoman throne, pro
vided that Zizim would, on his side, pledge himself to re
store the captured provinces. Eager to embrace the
opportunity thus presented to him, Zizim instantly joined
Kasim Beg, and once more strove to make head against
his brother. Achmet, however, advanced a second time
against the prince, whose raw levies melted away at the
approach of the Ottoman army, Zizim himself took
refuge among the mountain passes of the district, and,
feeling his cause hopeless in his own country, despatched
.an embassy to Rhodes, begging permission to place him
self under the protection of the Order of St. John, and
demanding a safe conduct from the Grand-Master. The
propriety of acceding to this request was warmly debated
in council at Rhodes : eventually, however, the permis
sion was granted, and a safe conduct was despatched to
c c 4

392 A HISTORY OF
the unfortunate prince, by the hands of the prior of Cas
tile, Don Alvares de Zuniga, This ambassador encoun
tered Zizim at Corycus, on the borders of Cilicia, and
after having, in the name of his Order, tendered the re
quired guarantee, he returned with the prince to Rhodes,*
Every preparation had there been made to receive the
illustrious fugitive with due respect and honour, A
bridge, eighteen feet in length, covered with rich tapestry,
was thrown out into the harbour to enable him to land
on horseback from his vessel. Upon the mole he found
a body of Knights ready to act as his escort in his pro
gress through the town ; the streets through which he
passed were decorated with banners; flowers and ever
greens being strewed in complimentary profusion in his
path. Ladies in their gayest attire appeared in the bal
conies and windows overlooking his route ; whose beauty
drew from the gallant Eastern the compliment, that " it
was with great justice that the Rhodians were con
sidered the loveliest women in Asia." At St. Stephen's
Square he was met by the Grand-Master, who received
him with those marks of respect due to the son and
brother of a powerful emperor.
It was, indeed, a great triumph for the Order of St.
John, that they should within so short a time after their
utter destruction had been decreed by the powerful
Ottoman sultan, be thus receiving the son of that very

* The popular story, recounted by all the historians of the Order
of St. John, of the letter which Zizim wrote to his brother, and which,
attached to an arrow, he shot into the midst of the sipahis who had
been despatched in his pursuit by Bajazet, and in which letter he
reproached his brother in terms so touching as to draw tears from
that prince, is quite %)ocryphal; nor is mention made of such a
letter by any of the oriental writers of the period.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 393
potentate, as a helpless wanderer, and a pensioner upon
their bounty. However strong the natural feelings of
pride and exultation, which must have been stirred in
every bosom on that eventful day ; the knights of Rhodes
were far too chivalric to allow a trace of such sentiments
to appear in their behaviour towards the young prince.
Zizim found himself treated by these gallant and noble
spirits with the same deferential hospitality as they would
have displayed, had he been a powerful monarch on his
throne, instead of the destitute fugitive which in reality
he was. Every effort was made to render his stay agree
able to him. Tourneys, hunting parties, spectacles, and
feasts followed in rapid succession : nothing was omitted
which could serve to distract his mind from the gloomy
thoughts incident on his position.
It was in vain, however, that they strove to divert
his mind from the danger with which he felt he was
surrounded, even in the hospitable city of Rhodes. From
the Knights themselves he felt he had nothing to
fear ; indeed, on the first day of his arrival in the
island, when the custom, usual in European courts,
was practised of tasting the dishes prior to setting them
before him, he, as an Eastern, being unacquainted with
the usage, appeared much astonished and even scan
dalised at the suspicion thus implied ; and to mark his
fearlessness of treachery, he insisted upon eating of such
dishes only as had not been tasted. Unfortunately,
however, he felt, that in spite of all the precautions
which the chivalrous hospitality of D'Aubusson had
prompted him to take, he was, so long as he remained
at Rhodes, in the midst of a population, many of whom
would not scruple at any act of treachery against his
person. That Bajazet would be only too ready to make

394 A HISTORY OF
use of any such tool as might present itself for the
purpose was, as he was well aware, too much in accord
ance with the ordinary practice of politics in the East
to be for one moment doubtful ; and that, playing as he
did for so magnificent and important a stake, he would
be prompted to the offer of a munificent reward to any
one who would remove his enemy from his path, was
also equally sure. He felt, therefore, that amongst the
Greeks who were present in great numbers within
the city, some plot would, ere long, be concocted, by
which his liberty, and in all probability his life, would
be placed in peril. Filled with the dread of such a
result, Zizim suggested to the Grand-Master that he
considered it advisable to quit his hospitable shores, and
he requested permission to retire to France, stating at
the same time the reasons which had led him to prefer
the request.
D'Aubusson could not but see the justice of Zizim's
fears; in fact, he had himself been tormented with a
constant dread that some calamity would befal the
prince whilst under his protection ; still the proposed
change of residence was a matter of so great moment,
that he did not feel justified in giving his permission
without a reference to the General Council. Here a
very warm debate ensued on the question. Those who
had regarded the presence of Zizim amongst them
merely in the light of a pohtical weapon which was to
be turned to the best advantage against the Turks,
strongly urged his retention in the island. So long,
they argued, as they retained within their power the
person of one who would prove so constant a source of
dread and uneasiness to Bajazet, they might feel sure
that he would never dare to undertake any operation to

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 395
their prejudice ; and that, in their hands, the young
prince would prove a most formidable engine, to be
used as occasion might favour, against the Ottoman
empire. Those, however, who were more disinterested,
and who felt that the interests of their Order could
never be permanently benefited by a breach of faith,
were equally urgent that he should be permitted to
follow his own inclinations. The danger which he
hourly ran from the secret attempts of the assassin,
whilst residing in Rhodes, was so imminent, and at the
same time so impossible to guard against, that it was of
the highest importance that he should be removed as
speedily as possible beyond the reach of so baneful a
contingency. The arguments adduced by this latter
party were warmly supported by D'Aubusson, and
ultimately prevailed in the council, sanction being given
to Zizim to retire at once to France; and a suitable
escort being nominated, under the command of two
Knights of high dignity, to act as a guard to himself
and retinue in this new home of his adoption.
At this juncture, ambassadors from Constantinople,
despatched by Achmet Pasha on behalf of Bajazet,
arrived at Rhodes with pacific overtures, and with a
request that plenipotentiaries from the Order might be
sent to Constantinople to arrange the terms of a durable
peace. There can be no doubt that the presence of
Zizim at Rhodes had much disquieted his brother, who
felt that, unless he could secure a treaty of peace with
the fraternity, he would be in constant dread of the
rival claim which, supported by the force of their arms,
Zizim might be tempted at any moment to renew.
This embassy, so unusual to Mussulman pride, proved
to Zizim that his brother would leave no means untried

396 A HISTORY OF
to secure himself against aggression ; he became, therefore,
doubly anxious to quit a spot in which he was sur
rounded by so many dangers.
On the 1st of September 1482, he embarked with his
retinue and escort on board one of the largest galleys
in the fleet of the Order, and set sail for France. Prior
to his departure, he left in the hands of the Grand-
Master three most important documents, the contents of
which are an ample confutation to the base calumny
which D'Aubusson's detractors have so industriously
spread, that Zizim was forwarded to France as a pri
soner in furtherance of the political views of the Grand-
Master and his fraternity. The first was a carte blanche
to the Order to treat in Zizim's behalf with his brother
Bajazet, and to secure for him such appanage as they
could extort from the Ottoman treasury. During the
period of Zizim's residence in Rhodes, the expenses of
his entertainment had fallen entirely upon the Order ;
nor, unless he could succeed in wringing an allowance
suited to his dignity from his brother, would he have
any means of support during his residence in France,
other than a complete dependence on the charity of the
Hospitallers. He therefore empowered D'Aubusson to
treat on his behalf with Bajazet on this subject. The
second document was a declaration on his part, that his
departure from Rhodes and retirement to France were
steps taken by his own express desire. The third was
a treaty of alliance into which he entered with the
Order, and by which he bound himself to abide, in case
he should ever succeed in dislodging his brother and
mounting the Ottoman throne.*
* Vide Appendix No. 14.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 397
The scene between Zizim and D'Aubusson, at the
moment of the departure of the former from the island,
was touching in the extreme. Forgetting for the in
stant the proud reserve with which, following the dic
tates of his Asiatic nature, he had always hitherto veiled
his feelings, he, in this hour of separation from the
friends who had rescued him from a cruel death, and
who had treated him with such considerate and mag
nificent hospitality, felt it impossible to restrain further
the natural promptings of his heart, and falling at
D'Aubusson's feet in a paroxysm of grief, he bathed
them in his tears. The proud warrior of the cross, who
had so often exchanged the lightning flash of defiance
with his infidel foe, was not proof against this ebullition
of tenderness and sorrow on the part of one who,
although the son of his bitterest enemy, had always
regarded him and his fraternity with sentiments of affec
tion and esteem.
Whether his keen and politic eye could trace in the dim
and misty future some foreshadowing of that miserable
fate to which this fugitive prince was doomed, or whe
ther his emotion arose merely from a feeling of sympa
thy with the distresses of his young guest, certain it is,
that, as an eye-witness has recorded, D'Aubusson, the
calm, fearless, intrepid D'Aubusson, wept upon the neck
of Zizim tears of fraternal affection. Was this the
parting between a prisoner and his jailor ? Was this a
scene likely to have been enacted had Zizim been leaving
Rhodes upon a compulsory journey to France, and had
D'Aubusson been the perjured wretch who was driving
him to that step, and who was to make for himself a
political capital out of the measure ? The whole scene
has been depicted with such minuteness and detail by

398 A HISTORY OF
Caoursin, as to leave no rational doubt in the mind of
the unprejudiced reader of the terms upon which the
Ottoman prince and the Grand- Master of Rhodes bade
their last adieu.
The departure of Zizim in no way affected the treaty of
peace which was being arranged between Bajazet and the
Knights of St. John. In virtue of the document which
Zizim had left in his hands, D'Aubusson secured for his
prot^g^ a revenue of 35,000 gold ducats*, in addition to
which Bajazet covenanted to pay the Order an annual
sum of 10,000 ducats, in compensation for the extraordi
nary expenses to which they had been put during the war
with his father. Upon these terms, so highly favourable
to the Knights of Rhodes, peace was concluded : and
the powerful Ottoman empire beheld itself, in some
measure, a tributary to the comparatively insignificant
state, whose island bulwarks were bristling on its frontier.
It has been alleged as a reproach against D'Aubusson,
that he received this large annual payment as a bribe
for the safe custody of Zizim ; but this statement is at
variance with the facts. The entire amount was annually
remitted to Zizim, and by him expended, partly in the
maintenance of his household, and partly in support of
the ambassadors, whom he was continually despatching to
the various courts of Christendom, Indeed, that the
amount allowed by Bajazet was not sufficient for his
maintenance is clear from the fact, that in the chapter-
general held at Rhodes on the 10th of September 1489,
after a minute examination of the accounts, it was de
creed that D'Aubusson should be repaid out of the
public treasury the sum of 50,749 golden crowns, which
* About fifteen thousand a-year, English money.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 399
amount he was demonstrated to have advanced to Zizim
out of his private resources, over and above the annual
income allowed him by his brother.
The young prince's first intention, upon landing in
France, was to proceed at once to the court of the
French king, and endeavour to enlist the active sym
pathies of that monarch in his behalf The ambassadors,
however, whom he despatched in advance, were received
with the utmost coldness by Charles VIIL, who, being
on the eve of an expedition against Naples, felt vfery
indisposed to embroil himself at that moment with the
Ottoman sultan ; he therefore declined a personal
interview with Zizim, and contented himself with some
vague offers of assistance, in case that prince should
choose to abandon his faith, Zizim returned disheart
ened to the commandery of Bourgneuf, situated on the
confines of Poitou and La Marche, which was the official
residence of the grand-prior of Auvergne. Here, sur
rounded by his own personal retinue, and carefully
guarded by the Knights, who had been appointed to act
as his escort, he spent his days in such rural amuse
ments as the locality afforded.
He was, however, a personage of too great importance
to the political interests of Europe to be permitted to
remain, even in this state of seclusion, undisturbed.
All the princes of Christendom were seeking to become
possessed of the person of one whose name would prove
such a powerful auxiliary in an expedition against the
Turks ; and ere long plots were set on foot, in various
quarters, to withdraw him from the protection of the
Knights of St, John. At the same time, designs of a
yet baser nature, prompted by the treachery of the
uneasy Bajazet, were skilfully concocted, to deprive the

400 A HISTORY OF
young prince of his life. Vigilant, indeed, was the
guard which the Knights of Rhodes were compelled to
maintain for the protection of their charge from the
attempts of both friend and foe ; and this vigilance has
been distorted into a support of the accusation that the
Turkish prince was, during all this time, a close prisoner
in their hands. That Zizim was carefully guarded is an
incontrovertible fact ; but that he was so guarded con
trary to his own desire is at variance with all trust
worthy contemporary evidence ; since, in a letter which
he wrote to the Grand-Master from Rome, on the 27th
of October 1494, after he had ceased to be any longer
under the control of the Order, and when he could have
had no object in disguising his sentiments towards them,
he thus expresses himself with reference to the guard
which the Order had provided for him during his resi
dence in France: — "Most kindly and faithfully have I
been served by the said Knights, without being able to
testify my gratitude in the slightest degree, by remune
rating them in the manner which I should most ardently
have desired. With the warmest and most affectionate
cordiality, I beg of your most reverend lordship kindly
to look upon them all, as persons peculiarly commended
to you by your love for me, I will think every favour
and benefit which you confer upon them, as though con
ferred, through your condescension, on myself person
ally," During Zizim's residence at Rhodes the Grand-
Master wrote a letter to the Pope, in which he defines
very clearly the conditions under which the Order had
consented to grant their protection to the prince. The
safe conduct guaranteed for by him was " Tutus aditus
exitusque," a safe entry into Rhodes and departure there
from. And this guarantee had been faithfully observed.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 401
He then proceeds to state, with a magnanimity worthy
of his character, " We have brilliant expectations, and
are determined to do all that lies in our power : if we
succeed, well and good ; but if not, we must consult the
interests of our island, taking care, however, to preserve
our public faith, since this must be kept inviolably, even
towards our deadliest enemy, whatever may be his un
belief," This was the line of conduct pursued by
D'Aubusson throughout the trying period of Zizim's
presence in Europe, He had been promised a safe entry
and an equally safe exit from the island of Rhodes ; and
this pledge had been fully redeemed. He left Rhodes
voluntarily, and at his own earnest request ; and from
that moment the risk incurred by the measure fell upon
his own head. The Knights, however, scorning to keep
within the bare letter of their word, continued their
protection to the hapless prince for many years, without
which protection, it is not venturing too much to assert,
he would speedily have fallen beneath either the open or
the insidious attacks of his enemies. That this duty
was performed in a manner honourable to themselves
and beneficial to the prince, is clearly proved by the
letter already quoted, written on his abandonment of
the Order's protection, and the transfer of his person to
the papal court.
This event took place in the year 1488. The Pope
had, for some considerable time, been very urgent that
Zizim should be transferred into his own hands, inas
much as he was then organising an expedition against
the Turkish sultan, in which he was desirous of the
support which the presence of the prince would afford
him ; and although D'Aubusson knew that it would have
been safer for Zizim to have remained a guest with the
VOL, I, D D

402 A HISTORY OF
fraternity, still he felt it was impossible for him to resist
the urgent and oft- repeated injunctions of his ecclesias
tical superior. The transfer was effected with great
splendour in the month of March 1488, the king of
France being a consenting party. It has been adduced,
as a proof of dishonourable dealing on the part of the
Order, that the possession of the person of Zizim was
purchased by the Pope from them at the expense of
numerous concessions which they extorted at the critical
moment. These concessions were undoubtedly made,
and it is more than probable that they were the result
of Innocent's gratitude to the fraternity, for their com
pliance with his wishes, tardy and reluctant though that
compliance had been. Still there is nothing to show
that they were made a condition of the transfer, rather
than its result ; and a glance at the benefits conferred
wiU show that they were such as the Order had a right
to claim as an act of justice rather than a favour; being
merely the abandonment on the part of the pontiff of
claims which had been unjustly usurped by his prede
cessors. By this deed he pledged himself never to
interfere in the nomination to commanderies, even when
vacated within his own dominions; a privilege which
former pontiffs had exercised with the most pernicious
frequency, and in direct detriment to the rights of
seniority. He also, at the same time, merged the two
effete Orders of St, Sepulchre and St. Lazarus into that
of St. John ; though how far this union could be con
sidered a boon to the Hospitallers, it is difficult to per
ceive, inasmuch as, both in regard to renown and
wealth, the Knights of St, John were immeasurably
superior to those of the two Orders who were now
combined under their banner.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 403
It has also been very generally stated, that a cardi
nal's hat was conferred on D'Aubusson, as a personal
mark of favour from the Pope, on this occasion. The
real truth is, that D'Aubusson was invested with the
dignity of cardinal in 1485, three years before the
transfer of Zizim to the court of Rome. That dignity
was in itself an honour of a very questionable kind.
Independent of the obvious fact that the title was one
more becoming an ecclesiastic than a soldier, it is very
evident that the rank which D'Aubusson enjoyed, as
Grand-Master of the most Holy Order of St. John of
Rhodes, was in itself higher than that which would be
conferred by a cardinalship ; and it would have been
well for the dignity of D'Aubusson's memory, could his
historian have recorded that he had declined the paltry
bauble. The real reason for his investment with this
anomalous rank was, that the Pope had need of his
acknowledged talents as a politician and a diplomatist
in his traffic with the nations of the East. The title
of cardinal was coupled with that of papal legate in the
East ; a post which insured to the service of Innocent
one of the most talented and efficient agents then in
existence for the delicate task of intercourse with the
Turkish court.
Before the Pope had had time to mature any of those
projects for the reconquest of the East, which were
teeming within his ambitious brain, he died, and his
place was filled by the infamous Borgia, who assumed
the triple crown under the title of Alexander VI.
During his sway, the position of the unfortunate Zizim
became very much changed from what it had been
during the life-time of Innocent. The Knights, who
had hitherto been permitted to reside with him at the
D D 2

404 A HISTORY OF
papal court, were severally dismissed, and he himself
confined as a close prisoner in the castle of St. Angelo.
The last vestige of power over the fate of the miserable
prince was now wrested from the Order ; nor can they
be in any way held responsible for the foul crime by
which his end was compassed. Alexander, feeling him
self secure in the possession of his prize, communicated
instantly with Bajazet ; and did not blush to traffic with
that prince for the blood of his brother. An offer was
made by the latter, either to continue to him the annual
payment hitherto granted to Zizim, upon condition of
his detaining that prince in close confinement, or, in
order to end at once the dangers which his life perpet
ually threatened to Bajazet's crown, he covenanted to
pay the sum of 300,000 crowns to the Pope, in the
event of his making away with his prisoner,
Alexander's notoriety as a poisoner had already flown
over all Europe ; and Bajazet did not hesitate to propose
in plain terms to the head of the Christian Church, the
cold-blooded murder of a defenceless refugee. The
Pope would willingly have retained Zizim in life, pre
ferring the annual payment to the sum offered for his
murder, but the option did not long remain to him.
The measures which Alexander had adopted with
regard to Zizim had caused the most lively indignation,
not only to the Grand-Master of Rhodes, who unfortU'
nately felt himself powerless in the matter, but also to
the young and ambitious king of France, into whose
calculations it had never entered that the Pope should
retain the Turkish prince a close prisoner, merely for his
own individual profit. Advancing at the head of a
powerful force, which he had assembled for the purpose
of overrunning the kingdom of Naples, to the sovereignty

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 405
of which he laid claim, he appeared at the gates of
Rome, before Alexander had been enabled to make any
preparations to resist him.
The scandalous iniquities of this pontiff's career had
resounded throughout Europe, The annals of his life
had been stained with almost every crime, and every
vice by which human nature is disgraced. Everywhere
his deposition was most urgently prayed for, and the
very cardinals of his court were unanimous in their
desire to see him stripped of his pontifical dignity. At
this moment, his doom appeared sealed ; but Alexander,
though a monster of vice, was by no means inexpert as
a politician ; and out of the nettle danger, with which
he was surrounded, he contrived to pluck the flower
safety. By means of bribes, lavishly and unscrupulously
administered, he bought over most of the advisers of the
young king ; and a treaty was concluded, which secured
him in his pontificate even more firmly than before. By
one of the terms of this treaty, he pledged himself to
surrender Zizim into the hands of Charles, Vainly did
he resist the insertion of this clause, but Charles was
inexorable : the presence of the Turkish prince was by
him considered necessary for the prosecution of his
enterprise, and provided he carried that point, he cared
but little for the other iniquities of which Alexander had
been guilty.
The annual stipend so punctually paid by Bajazet
was clearly lost to him for ever ; now, therefore, was
the time to earn the 300,000 crowns offered for the
murder of Zizim, The age in which Borgia lived was
renowned for the perfection to which the art of poison
ing had been brought, and that pontiff had earned for
himself the unenviable reputation of the most skilful
D D 3

406 A HISTORY OF
and frequent practiser of that art throughout Europe.
In the present case, his talents were brought to bear with
his usual cunning upon the person of his unfortunate
prisoner. Zizim, at the moment when he was handed
over to the protection of Charles, bore within his frame
the fatal venom which was slowly but surely working
his destruction. So skilfully had the potion been admin
istered, that it was not until the king had arrived with
his prot^g^ at Terracina, that the crisis developed itself
Every finger at once pointed to the true murderer ; nor
has any serious attempt been ever made to refute the
charge. A sad fate indeed was that, for which the unfortunate
Zizim had been reserved. After a sojourn of thirteen
years in strange countries, far away from his own native
land, he was, at the very moment when his gloomy pros
pects appeared to brighten, smitten by the fell and secret
hand of the treacherous poisoner, from whose grasp he
had but just torn himself. In subsequent years we find
his son Amurath, who had been left as an infant in
Egypt, residing in Rhodes under the protection of the
fraternity, and receiving from their treasury a pension
of 36,000 florins a year. This young prince had aban
doned the faith of his father, and become baptised into
Christianity, for which reason he was held in great
esteem by the Order.
The miserable fate of Zizim caused the most poignant
anguish to D'Aubusson, to whom the young prince had
endeared himself through many years of kindly feeling
and affectionate correspondence. The disgrace which this.
foul murder had cast upon the Christian Church affected
him deeply, and his utter inability to avenge the dastardly
act added weight to his grief. Age too had been creep-

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 407
rng upon him, and rendered him less able to bear up
against his sorrow than would have been the case had
he been a younger man. It is from this time that we
may date the commencement of that decline, which slowly
and gradually brought the noble old man to his grave.
Throughout the remaining years of his life, his position
was one which any of the monarchs of Europe might
have envied. Universally admitted to be the greatest
warrior, and the first statesman of his age, he bore a
part in the politics of Europe far more important than
his official position could have warranted. At the time
when Alexander, anxious to remove the stigma cast upon
him by the murder of Zizim, had organised a league
against the Turks, composed of all the leading powers of
Christendom, D'Aubusson was unanimously selected as
the generalissimo of the combined forces. The league,
it is true, effected nothing: the numerous conflicting
interests of its members, the inertness of some, and the
obstinacy of others, all conspired to render barren an
enterprisewhich might have been of the most vital import
ance to Europe, and which, if duly persevered in, would
have saved the island of Rhodes from the sad fate which
was impending over it. Still the nomination of D'Aubus
son as its head marks the general estimation in which
he was held ; nor can its futile termination be in any
way attributed to him, since prior to accepting the com
mand he foretold, with the keen sagacity for which he
was famed, its useless end.
In the year 1499, we find an ambassador sent from
Henry VIL, king of England, with an extremely
flattering letter to the Grand-Master, accompanied by a
present of horses, of a breed which were prized for
their pure blood and extreme docihty : they were stated.
D D 4

408 A HISTORY OF
in the letter to have been reared in the island of Ire
land, and to have been called Eburi. He also sent
several pieces of artillery, which he intended for the
defence of Rhodes, and which he requested might be
given over to the charge of the English Knights, and
placed upon the ramparts appropriated to their guardian
ship. During this period no less than five general
chapters had been convoked, in the course of which
many enactments highly beneficial to the discipline of
the Order were passed. Reforms of the most searching
kind were introduced, and Rhodes was weeded of many
of those unworthy characters, who, from amongst the
Greek population with which it swarmed, had brought
discredit on the island.
The only drawback to the peaceful end which D'Au
busson felt was rapidly approaching, came from the
conduct of the Pope, who, heedless of the pledge of his
predecessor, gave to his own immediate family and
friends all the leading dignities of the Order as they
fell vacant. Remonstrances were utterly disregarded,
and D'Aubusson felt himself unable to act in any more
stringent manner. In the midst of the acrimonious
correspondence engendered by the illegal actions of the
pontiff, he sank into his grave, and breathed his last on
the 30th of June 1503.
The loss of so great a man from amidst their ranks
was keenly felt by the members of his Order, nor was
it less regretted by the inhabitants of Rhodes generally,
to whom he had endeared himself by the undeviating
justice of his rule, and the liberal policy he had in
variably maintained towards them. He had reached
the age of eighty years, during the latter twenty-seven
qf which he had held the baton of Grand-Master, and,

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 409
this lengthened career had been marked by the mag
nanimity, piety, and heroic deeds with which it was
adorned. Beloved by his own Order, revered by all the
princes of Christendom, respected and dreaded by the
enemies whom he had worsted in the field, or baffled in
the council chamber ; munificent in his public acts, as
the numerous buildings, foundations, and other charities
which he established amply testify ; affable and gracious
in his demeanour towards those with whom he was
thrown in contact ; he was a man who had no enemies,
save those whose misdeeds had brought down upon
them the chastisement decreed by his justice, or those
in whose jaundiced eyes the mere existence of such
pre-eminent virtue was in itself an offence.
The day of his funeral was one of general mourning
throughout Rhodes : his body lay in state in the council
hall, beneath a canopy covered with cloth of gold, dressed
in the robes of his office, with gloves of silk upon his
hands, and shoes of golden cloth upon his feet. On his
breast lay a crucifix of gold ; and at his right hand,
arranged upon a table, were the emblems of his cardinal-
ship ; on the left were his armour, his lance, and the
sword which he had used at the defence of the Jews'
rampart, still covered with the Infidel blood in which it
had been bathed on that memorable day. Around the
corpse stood seven Knights, dressed in the deepest
mourning, one of whom bore his cardinal's hat ; another
his legate's cross ; a third the standard of the league of
which he had been the generalissimo ; and the other
four, banners, on which were emblazoned the arms of his
family, combined with those of the Order, When the
hour of interment arrived, the whole town followed their
late prince to the tomb. First in the procession came

410 A HISTORY OF
the religious corporations of Rhodes ; next, the Greek
patriarch, and all his clergy ; then the Latin clergy of
the Order, followed by two hundred of the principal
citizens of Rhodes, dressed in black, and bearing lighted
torches ; after these the Knights, bearing his banners,
which they now trailed upon the ground ; next the bier,
with the corpse, borne upon the shoulders of the grand-
crosses, none others being allowed that privilege. Im
mediately after the corpse came the Knighthood of the
Order, whose extended files completed the melancholy
procession. As the revered body was lowered into its
last resting place, the baton of his office, and the golden
spurs of his Knighthood, were broken over his tomb by
the officers appointed for that purpose ; and, after one
last long look had been taken at all that now remained
of one who had gained the love of so many hearts, and
achieved so much for the welfare of his brethren, the
grave was slowly and sadly closed over his venerable
remains, and the touching ceremonial was brought to a
close. He was gone out of their sight, and another
would shortly occupy that place he had so worthily
filled ; but his memory will remain through successive
ages, still green and unfading, and wherever the annals
of the Order of St. John are recorded there must ever
be found, high amidst the chosen list of those who, even
in that fraternity of chivalry and renown, had raised
themselves above their honoured fellows, the name of
Peter D'Aubusson,
It was during his rule that the relic, so highly prized
by the Order till the latest day of its existence, was
first brought to Rhodes, After D'Aubusson had suc
ceeded in arranging the treaty, in virtue of which
Zizim was to receive an annual pension from his brother.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 411
Bajazet, anxious to testify his gratitude for the good
offices of the Grand-Master, presented him with the
right hand of St. John the Baptist, which had fallen
into the possession of his family at the capture of Con
stantinople. This relic, which was inclosed in a mag
nificent casket of Cyprus wood, lined with crimson
velvet, and adorned with numerous precious stones, was
addressed to D'Aubusson in the following manner :
" Bajazet, king of Asia, and Emperor of Emperors, to
the very wise and illustrious Grand-Master of Rhodes,
Peter d' Aubusson, most generous prince, and father of
a very glorious empire,"
Few, if any of the relics, which during the middle ages
were scattered throughout Europe, until almost every
church was possessed of one, if not more, of the soi-
disant bones of the primitive martyrs, can have their
authenticity traced with such minuteness of detail as
the one thus forwarded to Rhodes, Its history runs as
follows : — The body of St. John the Baptist had been
buried in the town of Sebasta, after his execution by
king Herod ; St, Luke the Evangelist, after his con
version to Christianity, is stated to have, been very de
sirous of removing the sainted corpse ; joining, therefore,
with some of the other disciples of St. John who were
still living, they opened the grave under cover of night ;
but, dreading lest they should be unable to remove the
entire body without being discovered, they severed the
right hand, which, as having been the actual agent em
ployed in baptising our Lord, they considered the most
sanctified portion of the body. St. Luke carried the
hand to Antioch, where he preserved it religiously
during his sojourn in that city. When, however, he
went into Bythinia to preach the gospel, he left the

412 A HISTORY OF
precious relic in the charge of the church which he had
established. It remained at Antioch until the reign of
Constantine Porphyrogenitus, who, as a devout Catholic,
was extremely desirous of obtaining for the imperial
city of Constantinople so celebrated a relic as the hand
of St. John. Any open attempt on his part would
have been in vain, for the people of Antioch prized their
treasure highly, and guarded it most carefully ; but
Constantine, in his religious zeal, had no scruples as to
the means he employed for the attainment of his pur
pose. He bribed a deacon of the church of Antioch to
steal the hand, and to bring it to Constantinople ; where,
as soon as it had arrived, it was placed in the church of
St. John. It remained there until the capture of the
city by Mahomet, when, owing to the value of its casket,
it was placed in the imperial treasury, and it was from
this repository withdrawn by Bajazet, for presentation
to Peter d' Aubusson,
The correctness of the above statement must be taken
upon the credit of the numerous writers who have
guaranteed its authenticity, foremost amongst whom
stands Caoursin, the vice-chancellor of the Order, who,
upon the arrival of the sacred gift, was appointed
member of a commission to investigate its claims to
authenticity ; and who, after having satisfied himself of
the accuracy of its history, wrote a treatise upon the
subject, in which every particular connected with its
various transmigrations is fully recorded for the infor
mation and satisfaction of the pious.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 413

CHAP, XIIL
ELECTION OP ALMERIC AMBOISE. — FUTILE DESCENT OF CANALIS, —
CAPTURE OP SEVEN TURKISH GALLEYS AND OF THE QUEEN OP
THE SEAS,  DEFEAT OP THE TURKISH FLEET IN THE GULP OP
AJACCIO.  ELECTION AND DEATH OP GUY DE BLANCHEFOET. 
ACCESSION OP CAEEETTO  USUEPATION OF SELIM  CONQUEST OP
EGYPT BY THE OTTOMAN SULTAN.  DEATH OP SELIM AND ACCES
SION OP SOLYMAN.  SIEGE OF BELGEADK. — ELECTION OF l'iSLE
ADAM,  COEEESPONDENCE VTITH SOLYMAN.  PEEPAEATIONS FOE
DEFENCE. — DETAIL OP THE ItlEKISH POECES.  ARRIVAL OP THE
HOSTILE FLEET AT RHODES,
The death of D'Aubusson was speedily followed by that
of Pope Alexander, to the inexpressible relief, not only
of the Knights of St, John, but also of the whole of
Christianity; the scandalous iniquities which had dis
graced his pontificate having elicited the abhorrence of
every right-minded person. He met his end through a
just retribution of Providence, having partaken of poison
which he had destined for another ; and which, spite of
every remedy, carried him to the grave, without a regret
and amidst the execration of his suffering subjects. No
where was this event hailed with greater joy than at
Rhodes, The Pope had, in his grasping rapacity, seized
upon all the dignities and emoluments in the possession
of the fraternity, as they successively became vacant ;
and with unblushing effrontery openly sold them to the
highest bidder. Remonstrances on the part of the

414 A HISTORY OF
Grand-Master had proved utterly unavailing, and nothing
appeared left to the Order but either tamely to submit
to the wanton infraction of all their rights and privileges,
or else to cast off their allegiance to the pontiff, who, vile
though his personal character might be, was neverthe
less recognised as the head of their Church, and their
own immediate ecclesiastical superior. Happily the
necessity for this alternative was now obviated ; and the
Knights were enabled to continue their struggles against
the Infidels to whom they were opposed, under the new
chief they had elected, without further hindrance from
the court of Rome.
This Grand-Master was Almeric Amboise, grand-prior
of France, and brother to the prime minister of that
kingdom. The nine years dtiring which his sway ex
tended, were marked by no events of importance, beyond
a series of naval combats, in which the Order were
invariably victorious. Bajazet had, so soon as the death
of his brother Zizim had freed him from all engagements
with the Order of St, John, entered into a treaty with the
sultan of Egypt, for the attack of Rhodes, and the anni
hilation of the naval supremacy of the fraternity in the
Levant. In pursuance of this treaty, a celebrated Turkish
corsair named Canalis was despatched by the Ottoman
emperor with a powerful fleet, and with injunctions to
commit every possible ravage amidst the islands of the
rehgion. This expedition proved a complete failure:
driven successively from Rhodes, and several of the other
principal islands on which he had attempted a descent,
he directed his efforts to Leros ; an insignificant post,
which had been but feebly fortified and slenderly garri
soned. The gallantry and presence of mind of a youth
ful Piedmontese Knight, named Simeonis, saved even this

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 415
petty station from the aggression of the Turk. Dressing
up all the inhabitants of the place, women as well as
men, in the robes of Knights of the Order, he caused
them to line the ramparts of the fort in every direction.
The corsair, perceiving, as he imagined, a large body of
Knights prepared for his reception, whereas he had ex
pected to find only a few feeble veterans, lost heart, and
abandoning the attack, returned homeward without a
single trophy to mark the prowess of his arms.
The Knights speedily followed up this successful re
sistance on their part, by several other advantages which
they gained over the Infidel. Upon one occasion, a fleet
of seven vessels, well armed and fully equipped, having
been despatched to the attack of the island of Lango, fell
into their power by a stratagem. Two of these vessels
had advanced beyond the others, for the purpose of re
connoitring, and had approached so near to the island
of Lango as to be descried from the battlements. The
commandant instantly despatched the only two galleys
at that moment in the harbour, to intercept the advan
cing foe. These latter crept out to sea unperceived,
and contrived to cut off the retreat of the Turks so
effectually, that they were compelled to run their vessels
on shore, and abandoning them to the Knights, seek
refuge themselves within the woods of the island. These
latter promptly floated their new acquisitions, and having
embarked a sufficient crew from amongst the ranks of
the garrison, they advanced to the encounter of the re
mainder of the Turkish fleet. The Infidels perceiving
their own vessels returning, had no suspicion of the
change which had occurred in their occupation, and
advanced towards them in perfect security and confidence.
What was their dismay when the first broadside frorn

416 A HISTORY OF
their insidious opponents revealed the calamity which
had occurred to their arms. Ere they had well recovered
their surprise, the two Rhodian galleys were descried
bearing down rapidly upon the scene of strife. With
this reinforcement the victory was rapidly accomplished :
the seven ships were carried in triumph into port, and
their crews sold into slavery, including those who had
originally escaped into the island.
This advantage was followed by another, in the cap
ture of a carrack, which trafficked annually between the
ports of Egypt and Africa. This vessel, which was
called the " Queen of the Seas," was of so enormous a
size, that it is said six men could scarcely embrace her
mainmast. She had no less than seven decks, and was
armed with a hundred cannon, the crew consisting of a
thousand picked sailors, Gastineau, the commander of
Limoges, undertook to attempt the capture of this
leviathan, freighted, as she was, with the valuable mer
chandise of the east. Having succeeded, under pretence
of a parley, in running his galley close alongside of
the carrack, he suddenly opened a murderous discharge
upon her crowded decks, and then with dashing promp
titude completed his victory. The proceeds of this
prize were enormous, and the ransoms which the sultan
of Egypt paid for the release of the seamen and mer
chants taken upon the occasion, swelled yet further the
public treasury.
A still more important advantage, three years later,
attested the naval superiority of the Knights of Rhodes,
The sultan of Egypt had, with the consent of the Otto
man emperor, despatched into thegulf of Ajaccio a colony
of ship-builders, commissioned to construct a fleet, to be
employed against the gaUeys of Rhodes. The Grand-

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 417
Master, at considerable cost, fitted out an expedition for
the attack of this colony, which was protected by a
fleet of twenty-five vessels. The conduct of the enter
prise was entrusted to the Portuguese Knight, Andrew
d'Amaral, whose name subsequently attained a melan
choly notoriety during the second siege of Rhodes.
Associated in the command with him was another
Knight, named Villiers de L'Isle Adam, who was destined
to achieve an undying reputation during the same
struggle. The attack upon the Egyptian colony and its
protecting fleet was in the event completely successful,
though the issue of the day was for a long time warmly
contested. The fleet was utterly destroyed ; most of
the vessels being sunk and the remainder captured,
whilst their crews, and the ship-builders, who were taken
on the mainland, were brought as slaves into the harbour
of Rhodes,
This was the last event of any importance which
marked the career of the Grand-Master Amboise, and
on the 8th of November 1512, he died, at the age
of seventy-eight years ; the greater portion of which
had been spent in maintaining the honour and re
nown of that fraternity of which he was so worthy a
member. Guy de Blanchefort, nephew of Peter d' Aubusson, and
grand-prior of Auvergne, became the forty-first Grand-
Master, a post for which he was highly qualified, and to
which his numerous important services had justly enti
tled him to be raised. It was to his care that Prince Zizim
had been entrusted during his lengthened residence in
France, and he had subsequently been nominated to the
office of Lieutenant to the Grand-Master, in which po
sition he had rendered much important assistance, both
VOL. I. E E

418 A HISTORY OF
to D'Aubusson and his successor, Amboise. The high
reputation which his talents had gained for him
caused a very general feeling to become prevalent, that
his Grand-Mastership would be rendered celebrated in
the annals of the Institution, from the tact and ability
with which he would fulfil its onerous functions. He
was not, however, fated to realise these flattering aspi
rations, having been cut short in his career at the very
commencement of his sway. Being absent in France
when informed of his election, he at once set sail for
Rhodes, although at the time he was in a very feeble
state of health, feeling that the threatening aspect of
Eastern politics rendered his presence there absolutely
necessary. As the voyage progressed, his illness became
more severe, and when off the coast of Sicily he ap
peared so evidently in a dying state, that the Knights
who accompanied him urged him to land there. The
heroism of Blanchefort supported him in this trying
hour ; at all times ready to maintain the interests of his
Order, even at the risk of his own life, he was now pre
pared to forego the comfort of spending his last moments
upon shore ; feeling that the doing so might prove preju
dicial to the fraternity of which he was the chief. His
keen foresight enabled him to perceive, that were he to
die within such close proximity to the court of Rome,
the Pope would be sure to avail himself of that event to
secure the nomination of a creature of his own, without
reference to the council at Rhodes, He persisted,
therefore, in holding on his course, and as he felt his
last hour approaching, he directed that the swiftest
galley of the fleet which accompanied him should be
held in readiness to push on for Rhodes, the instant
that life had become extinct, in order that the earliest

THE KNIGHTS- OF MALTA. 419
intelligence of the event might be received in that
island. His decease occurred off Zante, and, faithful to the
instructions he had issued, the sad intelligence was at
once despatched to Rhodes, where it became known on
the night of the 13th of October 1513. The Order im
mediately assembled for the election of a new superior,
and we have it recorded that, upon this occasion, the
numbers of Knights then present in Rhodes were as
follows : — Of the French language there were 100, of that
of Provence 90, Auvergne 84, Castile and Portugal 88,
Aragon 66, Italy 60, England 38, and Germany 5.
Fabricius Carretto, the grand-admiral of the Order, a
Knight who had distinguished himself most highly
during the first siege of Rhodes, by his defence of fort
St. Nicholas, received the vacant baton, by the unani
mous choice of the electors.
Most important changes had of late years been tran
spiring in the East, which threatened the island of
Rhodes with a renewed attack from the Ottoman power.
The emperor Bajazet had three sons, of whom the two
elder partook greatly of his own inert and peaceable
disposition. The youngest, however, whose name was
Selim, inherited all the ambition and warlike aspirations
of those ancestors who had raised the power of the
Ottoman empire to its existing point of grandeur.
Politic as he was warlike, Selim, the sole dream of
whose life was to mount upon the throne to which, by
his birth, he could have no claim, exerted all his powers
to ingratiate himself with the janissaries of his father's
army. In this attempt he succeeded so well, that, with
their aid, he contrived to depose his aged parent ; and
having murdered him as well as his two elder brothers,
£ E 2

420 A HISTORY OF
the youthful parricide mounted the throne without fear
of any opposition on the part of his kindred.
The accession of this young and warlike prince
caused the greatest dismay amongst the neighbouring
nations, who with just reason dreaded that they would,
ere long, become the victims of the same aggressive
policy which had seated him on the throne of his
father. In this fear the Knights of Rhodes warmly par
ticipated, and a treaty of alliance was cemented between
the kings of Persia and Egypt and themselves. The
storm burst upon Egypt, and, despite the efforts of the
allies, the power of Selim, coupled with the treachery
of two of the Mamelouk governors, to whom the Egyp
tian sultan had confided the defence of his frontier,
enabled him, in the course of four years, to overrun
the whole of that country, and to add it to his own
dominions. The two traitorous Mamelouk chiefs were invested,
the one with the government of Egypt, and the other
with that of Syria ; and this conquest having been
completed, Selim turned his attention towards Rhodes,
for the reduction of which he commenced immediate and
formidable preparations. Whilst thus occupied, how
ever, he died suddenly of a cancer, and thus yielded
another respite to the Order of St. John, of which they
Avere not slow in availing themselves for the additional
protection of their island. His only son, Solyman,
ascended the throne of his father precisely at the same
time that Charles V. was crowned at Aix-la-Chapelle; and
he was destined, during the course of his lengthened
reign, to render himself the most illustrious of that race
of conquerors from whom he sprang.
It soon became the day-dream of the young and

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 421
ambitious prince to achieve that conquest which had
proved too formidable for his ancestor forty years
previously ; but a revolt in the newly conquered pro
vince of Syria for some time retarded his operations.
Gazelles, the Mamelouk traitor, who had been invested
with the governance of that province by Selim, now that
that redoubted chieftain was dead, conceived that the
opportunity was favourable for a revolt against his
youthful successor and the establishment of himself in
independent sovereignty over the province of Syria. In
aid of this attempt, he besought the alliance of Carretto,
who, overjoyed at the prospect of a dissension which
might divert the menacing attitude of the Ottoman
emperor, assisted him both with men and military
stores. The power of Solyman was, however, too great
for Gazelles to withstand, and in the very first engage
ment which ensued, he was overthrown and slain upon
the field of battle.
Peace being, by his death, re-established in the Otto
man dominions, Solyman turned his attention towards
the aggrandisement of his empire on his European
frontier, A large army was assembled at Constanti
nople, with every preparation for an expedition on a
gigantic scale. Its destination was not, however, as the
Knights had imagined, the attack of their island, which
was yet for a brief space respited from the fate which
impended over it. The city of Belgrade was the point
where Solyman commenced his career of conquest, and
whilst the siege of that city was progressing vigorously,
Fabricius Carretto breathed his last in the month of
January 1521,
A warm contest ensued for the election of his suc
cessor; the names of three candidates having been

422 A HISTORY OF
brought forward by their respective partisans. One of
these was Andrew d'Amaral, the chancellor of the
Order ; but his arrogance and haughty temperament
had created him too many enemies to render his success
in the slightest degree probable. The weight of the
struggle lay, therefore, between the other two candi
dates, Thomas Docray, grand-prior of England, and
Philip Villiers de L'Isle Adam, grand-prior of France.
Docray was a man whose experience in diplomacy had
rendered his name celebrated amongst the fraternity ;
and he was, moreover, in the possession of a magnificent
private fortune,afactwhichadded greatly to the weight of
his claims. As, however, the whole of the French inte
rest was centered in L'Isle Adam, and as that interest
was overpoweringly great in the ranks of the Order, the
vote was decided against Docray, and L'Isle Adam
was proclaimed by the Knights as their forty-second
Grand-Master. The unfortunate D'Amaral felt so keenly the slight
which he considered his rejection had cast upon him,
that he gave way to the bitterness of his temper, and is
reported to have uttered a speech upon the occasion,
which was subsequently magnified into an accusation
against his honour, and materially assisted in bringing
him to the scaffold. He is stated to have remarked,
upon hearing of the election of L'Isle Adam, that he
would be the last Grand-Master of Rhodes. This,
though in all probability merely the ebullition of dis
appointed ambition, was subsequently tortured into an
involuntary revelation of that treachery of which he
was accused, and went far to bias the decision of his
judges, prejudiced as they were already against him.
L'Isle Adam was residing in his priory at the time

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 423
when his election was notified to him ; but, sensible of
the importance of the crisis, and the imminence of the
danger which threatened his Order, he set sail at once
for Rhodes, in the carrack which had been despatched
for his conveyance. A succession of disasters overtook
the little squadron during the voyage. On one occasion,
the carrack caught fire, and was only rescued after the
most strenuous exertions on the part of its crew. Im
mediately afterwards they were assailed by a violent
tempest, in the midst of which the ship was struck by
a thunderbolt, which killed nine of her crew, and
actually destroyed L'Isle Adam's sword by his side,
without, however, causing the slightest injury to his
person. Such a combination of untoward circumstances
was amply sufficient to excite the superstition of his
attendants, and they earnestly besought him to abandon
the further prosecution -of his voyage. L'Isle Adam,
however, was not the man to allow these vague terrors
to deter him from his purpose ; and, in spite of every
obstacle, he held steadily on his course. Whilst calling
at Syracuse, he learnt that the pirate Curtoglu was
hovering around Cape St. Angelo, in the hopes of cap
turing him in the midst of his slender escort. Passing,
however, the point of peril under cover of night, he
succeeded in evading the treacherous corsair, and reached
Rhodes in safety.
In the summer of that year, the siege of Belgrade was
brought to a conclusion, and Solyman's banner waved
triuraphantly over its ruined ramparts. This victory
having been accomplished, the Ottoman eraperor found
himself at leisure to turn his attention once more towards
that dream of his youthful ambition, the capture of
Rhodes. The recollection that the army of his an-
£ E 4

424 . A HISTORY OF
cestor had been driven in confusion from its shores
only appeared in his eyes to render the project more
attractive. Independently of the desire which he
naturally felt to blot out the stigma cast upon the
Ottoman arms by the former failure, it was in his eyes
a great enhancement of the glory, which the successful
prosecution of the attack would reflect upon himself, to
remember that so mighty a monarch as Mahomet had
failed in a similar undertaking. In this ambitious
project he was warmly seconded by many of his subor
dinates ; although in the divan counsels were much
divided upon the subject.
Many were there who remembered with dread the
stupendous preparations made upon a former occasion
by Mahomet ; as also the tempting inducements and
promising assurances then held out by the traitorous
adventurers in his confidence ; all of which resulted in
a miserable failure, the tide of invasion rolling igno
miniously back from those island bulwarks, which the
high courage and chivalrous ardour of the Knights of
St. John had rendered an impassable barrier. These
sage advisers urged, and with considerable truth, that
the garrison of Rhodes was composed of very different
materials from those of the numerous fortresses Avhich
had succumbed to the Ottoman arms; that the city
of Rhodes was at this time fortified with far greater
strength and completeness than it had been in 1480 ;
that the recollection of their former success would nerve
its garrison, and the main body of its inhabitants, to
resist to the death any aggression on their island ; and
lastly, that the powerful force which must inevitably be
necessary for so stupendous an undertaking, could be
far more brilhantly and usefully employed in other di-

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 425
rections. To these arguments the friends of the enter
prise retorted, that the failure of Mahomet's attack was
mainly owing to his personal absence from the siege ;
that the very fact of that failure rendered it highly ad
visable for them to seize the earliest opportunity of
wiping away the reproach which had thereby been cast
upon their military fame, and that so far from the forti
fications of Rhodes being in a state of complete per
fection, they had received trustworthy notification that
a large portion of the wall of the bastion of Auvergne
had been thrown down, with a view to its more solid re
construction ; and that if they seized the opportunity
thus afforded by their enemies, they would find a breach
already made for them, through which they might
triumphantly enter the coveted city.
This piece of information had been forwarded to Con
stantinople by a spy who had been for some years main
tained in Rhodes by the Ottoman government. He was
by nation a Jew, and a physician by profession, and had
been despatched thither by the emperor Selim, for the
express purpose of obtaining intelligence as to the state
of the city. His profession had secured him a ready
entrance and a warm welcome at Rhodes ; where the
impending prospect of a siege was likely to render him
a valuable auxiliary. He appears to have maintained
his clandestine correspondence with the Porte for a con
siderable time unsuspected ; and it was only at the very
crisis of the siege that his treachery was discovered, and
he himself rendered incapable of inflicting any further
mischief. Chief among those who thus urged Solyman to the
enterprise were Mustapha Pasha, his brother-in-law,
and the pirate Curtoglu; both of whom trusted to derive

426 A HISTORY OF
considerable emolument and distinction in its prosecu
tion. Their counsels, according as they did so well with
the dictates of his own ambition, decided Solyman to
carry out the attack. As a preliminary measure, and
in order to test the determination of his antagonists, he
wrote to the new Grand-Master a letter, couched in the
following terms : — " Solyman the sultan, by the grace of
God, king of kings, sovereign of sovereigns, most high
emperor of Byzantium and Trebizond, very powerful
king of Persia, of Arabia, of Syria, and of Egypt,
supreme lord of Europe, and of Asia, prince of Mecca
and Aleppo, lord of Jerusalem, and ruler of the uni
versal sea, to Philip Villiers de L'Isle Adam, Grand-
Master of the island of Rhodes, greeting: I congratu
late you upon your new dignity, and upon your arrival
within your territories, I trust that you will rule there
prosperously, and with even more glory than your pre
decessors, I also mean to cultivate your favour ; rejoice
then with me, as a very dear friend, that following in
the footsteps of my father, who conquered Persia, Jeru
salem, Arabia, and Egypt, I have captured that most
powerful of fortresses, Belgrade, during the late autumn ;
after which, having offered battle to the Giaours, which
they had not the courage to accept, I took many other
beautiful and well-fortified cities, and destroyed most of
their inhabitants either by sword or fire, the remainder
being reduced to slavery. Now after sending my nu
merous and victorious army into their winter quarters,
I myself have returned in triumph to my court at Con
stantinople." L'Isle Adam was not slow in perceiving
the menace which lay couched within the terms of this
epistle; he therefore returned a response breathing a
still more open spirit of hostility ; it ran as follows : —

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 427
<' Brother Phihp Vilhers de L'Isle Adam, Grand-Master
of Rhodes, to Solyman, sultan of the Turks: I have
right well comprehended the meaning of your letter,
which has been presented to me by your ambassador.
Your propositions for a peace between us are as pleasing
to me as they will be obnoxious to Curtoglu. This
pirate during my voyage from France tried to capture
me unprepared ; in which, when he failed, owing to my
having passed into the Rhodian sea by night, he en
deavoured to plunder certain merchantmen, that were
being navigated by the Venetians ; but scarcely had my
fleet left their port, than he had to fly, and to abandon
the plunder which he had seized from the Cretan mer
chants. Farewell,"
To this bold epistle the sultan again replied, and endea
voured to inveigle him into sending some dignitary of the
Order as an ambassador to Constantinople, from whom
he should be enabled to extort valuable information
concerning Rhodes. L'Isle Adam was too well ac
quainted with Turkish treachery to entrust any member
of his Order into the power of the wily Solyman ; and
the event shortly proved the wisdom of his precaution,
since a Rhodian native, who had been despatched by his
fellow- townsmen, to open a negociation with the Turks
on the I^ycian shore, was treacherously made captive, and
carried away to Constantinople ; where, in the most foul
disregard of the laws of nations, he was cruelly tortured
by order of Solyman, and a confession was extorted of
all that he knew concerning the fortifications of
Rhodes. It was now very clear to every reasonable mind, that
no negociation could any longer stave off the impending
blow; and L'Isle Adam prepared himself with prompt

"428 A HISTORY OF
energy to resist it manfully. Embassies were sent td
all the principal courts of Europe to implore assistance
in a struggle, the event of which might prove a matter
of so great moment to Christendom ; but the emperor
Charles V. and the French king Francis were too warmly
engaged in their own domestic broils to give any heed to
the cry for assistance which arose from the shores of
Rhodes. The commanderies had all furnished such con
tingents as it was in their power to contribute, and
L'Isle Adam felt that in the approaching struggle he
would have to trust for success far more to the spirit of
his garrison than to their numbers. Only one of the
numerous embassies which he had despatched in every
direction was prosperous in its issue ; and this was the
mission to Candia, which he had entrusted to Anthony
Bosio, a serving brother of considerable talent and saga
city, a relation of the historian of the Order, This able
negociator succeeded in bringing from the Candian shore,
not only an ample supply of stores, but also five hun
dred Cretan archers, in those days highly reputed for
their skill with the cross-bow. He had likewise attracted
into the service of the Order, the celebrated Venetian
engineer, Gabriel Martinigo, whose reputation as a
master of that science stood so high, that his presence in
Rhodes was universally hailed as a most invaluable
auxiliary in the hour of need.
Martinigo was so much struck with the devotion and
zeal which he noticed on every side, that his highest
ambition became a desire to be enrolled a member of
that illustrious fraternity ; and he besought the Grand-
Master, that as he was determined to abandon all his
worldly prospects, and in that moment of peril to link
his fortunes with those of the city he had come to defend,

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 429
he would be graciously pleased to receive him as a mem
ber of his fraternity. As Martinigo was a man of good
family and unmarried, there was no objection or obstacle
to the accomplishment of his wishes ; and the Knights
greeted with joy this new and valuable acquisition to
their ranks. He was at once elected a grand-cross ; a
large pension was assigned to him, and the whole charge
of the fortifications vested in his hands. Various ad
ditions were at his suggestion made to the defences :
the gates were protected by ravelins, and casemates were
constructed in the flanks of the bastions : the counter
scarps were mined in such directions as appeared likely
to be made use of in an assault ; whilst within the town
barricades were erected in all the principal streets.
L'Isle Adam's next care was to cause a rigid inspection
to be made of his little garrison : the members of each
language were drawn up in front of their respective
auberges, fully armed and accoutred ; every language
being reported upon by a Knight of another division.
Each individual was called upon in turn to swear with
his hand upon the cross-hilt of his sword, that the equip
ments which he wore upon the occasion were his own
property, and had not been borrowed from any other
person. In this manner L'Isle Adam satisfied himself
of the complete preparation of his little garrison. The
number of the English knights present at the siege has
not been recorded ; mention has only been made of the
names of twenty*, but this must have fallen far short of
* The twenty English Knights whose names have been preserved,
owing to their having occupied posts of greater prominence than their
brethren, were as follows : —
Fr. John Bouch, or Buck, Turcopolier, killed.
Fr. Nicholas Hussey, commander of the English bastion.

430 A HISTORY OF
the number actually present. Conspicuous among these
stands John Bouch, or Buck, the Turcopolier, who was
selected as one of four leaders of supporting bodies,
which were destined to be retained without any special
duty, so as to be in readiness to carry succour where-
ever their services might be most needed. The com
mander of the English bastion was Nicholas Hussey ;
whilst the leader of the troops apportioned for the de
fence of the English quarter was William Onascon.
In like manner, were leaders selected in the other
languages to command at their respective posts. L'Isle
Adam undertook for his own share the defence of the

Fr. William Onascon, commander of the English quarter.
Fr, Thomas Sheffield, commander of the palace postern.
Fr. Nicholas Farfan, in the Grand-Master's suite.
Fr. Henry Mansel, ditto, killed.
Fr. William Weston.
Fr. John Ranson.
Fr. William Tuest (qy. West).
Fr. John Baron.
Fr. Thomas Remberton.
Fr. George Asfelz.
Fr. John Lotu.
Fr. Francis Buet.
Fr. Giles Rosel.
Fr. George Emer.
Fr. Michael Roux.
Fr. Nicholas Usel.
Fr. Otho de Montselli, or Monteilli.
Fr. Nicholas Roberts. This Knight wrote an account of the siege
to the Earl of Surrey, Vide Appendix No. 15.
Although there is no distinct record of the deaths of any of the
above-mentioned Knights during the siege, excepting the Turcopolier
and Henry Mansel, it is stated that they all perished, with scarce
an exception, and that the protection of the English bastion had
eventually to be entrusted to Knights of other languages.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 431
quarter of St, Mary of Victory, the point where the last
and most desperate struggle had taken place in the
previous siege.
A commission was named, including the three Knights,
the chancellor D'Amaral, the Turcopolier John Bouch,
and Gabriel de Poraeroys, whose duty it was to examine
into and report upon the supplies of provisions and
ammunition which were contained within the arsenals
of the city. Their joint report asserted that the supply
of both was ample, and that no farther store of either
was necessary. Before, however, the siege was brought
to a termination, the ammunition of the garrison became
exhausted, and this report, by which the Grand-Master
had been misled as to the state of his magazines, was
brought forward against the unfortunate D'Amaral as
an additional proof of his treason. The absurdity of
this accusation may be perceived at a glance ; the trea
son, if such it were, must have been shared in by his
brother commissioners, against whose fair fame no sus
picion of scandal had ever been breathed. Nothing, in
fact, was more likely than that the commissioners should
have underrated the expenditure of the garrison. The
siege was protracted during a space of time far exceed
ing that occupied by the former one ; whilst the amount
consumed in the mining operations of Martinigo, emi
nently successful though those operations were, went far
towards exhausting the supplies of the town, and could
hardly have been foreseen by D'Amaral or his associates.
A careful examination into all the allegations brought
against this unfortunate Knight will prove them to
be equally unreal, and not a whit more substantiated
by probabilities. Had he been in treasonable commu
nication with Solyman, would that monarch have been

432 A HISTORY OF
driven to so many expedients in order to procure accu
rate information as to the state of the town. From a
man in the chancellor's official position nothing, of course,
was concealed by L'Isle Adam, and he was most accu
rately informed of all that was taking place in connec
tion with the defence. Were information such as this
at his command, Solyman would have had but little
occasion to trouble himself with spies of a meaner class ;.
and the numerous measures which he took to secure the
services of persons of this description form a very impor
tant argument in favour of the innocence of D'Amaral.
This Knight, however, was, unfortunately for himself, of
so haughty and turbulent a disposition, that he was per
petually swelling the number of his antagonists, and
giving them some fresh pretext upon which to found ad
ditional accusations against him. Thus, at this critical
moment, he headed a cabal which broke out amongst the
Knights of Italy, who, under the plea that the Pope,
Adrian VL, was arrogating the patronage of their com
manderies, requested permission to depart for Rome, in
order to plead their cause before his holiness in person.
This request was very naturally refused by L'Isle
Adam, who, at the moment when he was expecting to
see the whole power of the Ottoman army arrayed
against him, could ill spare the services of a single
Knight. D'Amaral, within whose bosom was still un
doubtedly rankling a sense of jealousy, at the preference
which had been shown for L'Isle Adam over himself,
prompted them to seize for themselves that permission
which the Grand-Master had refused to accord ; and
they secretly departed from Rhodes by night, and pro
ceeded to Candia.
L'Isle Adam was much dismayed at this serious defec-

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 433
tion from his force, already too feeble for its duties ;
still, his was not the character to swerve from the path
of duty through any motive of expediency. In the
present dilemma his course was prompt and decisive ;
a'nd, as is usually the case, when men guide themselves
by the strict rules of justice and rectitude, it was, in the
end, erainently successful. He at once summoned a
general council, before which he arraigned the recusant
Knights, and in their absence judgment was passed by
default. They were unanimously sentenced to be
deprived of their habit, and expelled the fraternity, as
unworthy members, who had treacherously and pusil-
lanimously abandoned their brethren during a crisis of
extreme danger. The terms of this sentence soon
brought the fugitives to a sense of their duty. They had
abandoned the island, not from any symptoms of cowar
dice or disinclination to share the perils of their brothers
in arms, but simply from a feeling of insubordination,
aroused in a moment of pique and irritation, against
L'Isle Adam, The view which had been taken of their
conduct by the council touched their honour deeply ;
and all the chivalry of knightly character was once more
awakened within their bosoms. Instantly hurrying back
to Rhodes, they threw themselves at the feet of the
Grand-Master, imploring a remission of their sentence,
and that they might be permitted to wash away, in the
blood of the common foe, all recollection of their present
misconduct. To this petition L'Isle Adam, who was
overjoyed at the prospect of recalling so many gallant
spirits to his standard, warmly assented, and during the
lengthened struggle which ensued, the conduct of the
Knights of Italy was such, as to cause him no regret at
the leniency he had shown them,
VOL, I, F F

434 A HISTORY OF
The total strength of the garrison, whose inspec
tion L'Isle Adam had caused to be made, amounted
only to 600 Knights, and 4500 men at arms. In
addition to this force, which might be considered
in the light of regular troops, many of the inhabit
ants of the town had enrolled themselves as volunteers
during the hour of danger ; and they were formed
into several battalions, who rendered material assist
ance to the overtasked and exhausted garrison during
the siege. The mariners also, who usually manned
those galleys which had rendered the flag of St,
John so redoubtable throughout the Levant, were
landed, and formed into a naval brigade, for service in
the batteries and at other points in the defences where
they might be rendered useful. The peasantry, who
were flocking into the town from the surrounding
country, were made available as pioneers, and performed
most of the manual labour which the paucity of the
troops rendered them unable to execute for themselves,
A general description of the town and fortress of
Rhodes has been given in the account of its first siege,
but since that period, many important additions and
improvements had been effected. All the buildings
which had been left standing since the days of D'Au
busson, and which had afforded such admirable cover
for the besieging army at that time, were now cleared
away, and the country left completely open to the guns
of the town, which enfiladed it in every direction. The
main port was closed with a double chain, whilst the
port of the galleys was blocked, by sinking at its mouth,
boats laden with stones, A double enceinte completely
encircled the town, to which, in some parts, was added
a third line of rampart. These lines were flanked by

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 435
thirteen large towers, solidly constructed and well
adapted for resisting the enemy's artillery. Five of
the towers were enclosed in bastions, of which they
might be considered the keep ; so that these five points
were capable of a separate and isolated resistance, even
should the intermediate rampart become forced. They
were called the bastions of Provence, Auvergne, Eng
land, Spain, and Italy, A net-work of advanced lines
covered the main enceinte, the gates were all pro
tected by ravelins, the ditches were sufficiently wide
and deep to ensure them against all danger of esca
lade, and their counter-scarps were well revetted and
palisaded. The five bastions were placed under the direct con
trol of as many Knights, who were expressly nominated
for that purpose, and under whose orders were placed
a select detachment of their own languages. The
general enceinte was divided, as was their usual
custom, into eight portions; each of which was con
fided to the protection of a separate language, and a
Knight of that language selected as commander. The
corps of reserve was divided into four portions, at
the head of which were placed respectively the chan
cellor D'Amaral, who was to support the quarters
of Auvergne and Germany ; the English Turcopolier,
John Bouch, for Spain and England; the grand-
prior of France, Peter de Cluys, for France and
Castile ; and the grand-prior of Navarre, George de
Morgut, for Provence' and Italy. The Grand-Master
himself, with his lieutenant Gabriel de Pommeroys, at
the head of his body-guard, was reserved for general
purposes, without any specially defined duties. The
tower of St. Nicholas, which had in the former siege
F r 2

436 ^ HISTORY OF
borne the main brunt of the attack, was placed under
the command of Guyot de Castellan, a Knight of Pro
vence; and was garrisoned by twenty other Knights
and three hundred men.
Such were the leading arrangements which the wisdom
of L'Isle Adam had prompted him to make, and by
means of which every one knew his post at the moment
of alarm. His military dispositions, however, did not
prevent him from displaying the zeal of his piety, and
the earnest trust which he felt in the support of a
higher power. Prayers were offered in all the churches
by his order; and the intervention of the Almighty
invoked to rescue them from the grasp of the Infidel.
The town was divided into two sects ; those who owned
the allegiance of the Pope, and were members of the
Latin church ; and those who belonged to the Greek
persuasion. At the head of each was an archbishop,
in both cases nominated by the Grand-Master; the
Latin dignitary being Leonard Balestin, and the Greek,
Clement. Fortunately for the prospects of the town,
these functionaries zealously co-operated with each other
for the public weal, and maintained the most desirable
harmony between their respective flocks, to whom they
each addressed the most earnest exhortations to secure
their general allegiance to their common chief. The
address of the Greek archbishop has been recorded by
Fontanus, and presents a most eloquent specimen of
the declamation of the period. L'Isle Adam was cer
tainly fortunate in possessing, a:t this crisis, two such
able and energetic coadjutors ; men whose position gave
them so much power to sway the opinions and feelings
of their countrymen.
Whilst these preparations were making for the de
fence, Solyman was, on his side, gathering together his

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 437
forces in readiness for the undertaking ; and as a last
measure, prior to commencing operations against the
island, he despatched the following summons of sur
render to L'Isle Adam : " The sultan Solyman to Villiers
de L'Isle Adam, Grand-Master of Rhodes, to his
Knights, and to the people at large. Your monstrous
injuries against my most afflicted people have aroused
ray pity and indignation, I command you, therefore, in
stantly to surrender the island and fortress of Rhodes,
and I give you my gracious permission to depart in safety
with the most precious of your effects ; or if you desire
to remain under my government, I shall not require of
you any tribute, or do aught in diminution of your
liberties, or against your religion. If you are wise, you
will prefer friendship and peace to a cruel war. Since,
if you are conquered, you will have to undergo all such
miseries as are usually inflicted by those that are
victorious, from which you will be protected neither by
your own forces, nor by external aid, nor by the
strength of your fortifications which I will overthrow to
their foundations. If, therefore, you prefer my friend
ship to war, there shall be neither fraud nor stratagem
used against you. I swear this by the God of heaven,
the Creator of the earth, by the four Evangelists, by the
four thousand Prophets, who have descended from
heaven, chief amongst whom stands Mahomet, most
worthy to be worshipped ; by the shades of my grand
father and father, and by my own sacred, august, and
imperial head."
This letter was read by L'Isle Adam in full council,
where it was at once decreed that no other reply should
be accorded than such as could be borne by the cannon
of the town. Any further parleying would indeed have
F r 3

438 A HISTORY OF
been fruitless, for by the time when this letter was
being read at Rhodes, viz,, 14th June 1522, every pre
paration for the immediate commencement of the siege
had been completed by Solyman, From this day the
unfortunate inhabitants of the surrounding country
commenced pouring into Rhodes, bringing with them
the slender remains of their property, their instruments
of husbandry, domestic animals, corn, wood, &c,, in a
long and melancholy procession. Sad was the spectacle
which they presented as they thus abandoned their
cherished homesteads ; and found themselves left with
only the pitiable alternative of ravaging their own lands
in order to prevent the enemy from deriving any sus
tenance therefrom. Bitter were the curses and loud
the denunciations which they called down from heaven
upon those who had driven them to the necessity of
thus destroying their homes, and earnest were their
prayers to the throne of mercy that their city might be
preserved from capture, and their wives and little
ones rescued from the polluting touch of the Infidel.
Mustapha Pasha had been selected by Solyman as the
leader of his gigantic force, and Curtoglu, as admiral of
the fleet, had the management of all connected Avith
their transport. The strength of this army numbered
200,000 men, of whom 140,000 were men at arms, and
60,000 were peasants from Wallachia and Bosnia, who
were brought thither to execute such raining operations
and other trench duties as their manual skill enabled
them to perform with greater facility than the Turkish
soldiers. These unfortunate wretches had been torn
from their homes with the most brutal violence, and
compelled, against their will, to take part in an enter
prise for which they could have no possible sympathy ;
and the ruthless manner in which, during the siege,

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 439
they were worked like beasts of burden, and driven to
labour under the most deadly fire, was such, that of
that vast array scarce a man survived to witness the
Conclusion of the siege.
The naval armament, by which this enormous force
Was transported, together with all its materiel and
provisions, numbered nearly 400 sail of different de
scriptions, of which upwards of 100 were galleys and
vessels of considerable magnitude. An advanced de
tachment, consisting of 30 vessels, piloted the way to
the scene of action, and pouring upon the smaller
islands, which had been abandoned, carried sword and
ravage in every direction. In the island of Lango,
however, they met with a decided repulse. The go
vernor, a French Knight named Prejan de Bidoux, at
the head of his garrison, dashed at the disembarking
marauders, and drove them back with confusion to their
ships. Awed by this act of determination, they sheered
off, and bore away in the direction of Rhodes,
Early on the morning of the 26th of June, a signal
from St, Stephen's hill conveyed intelligence into the
city that the Turkish fleet was in sight. It was the
octave of the feast of St. John, during which period it
had been an invariable custom at Rhodes for a pro
cession to be formed through the principal streets of
the town, L'Isle Adam, desirous as far as possible to
reassure and calm the terror-stricken population, di
rected that this procession should pursue its usual course
although the enemy's fleet was at that moment studding
the horizon. The procession over, high mass was per
formed in St. John's church, and at its conclusion the
Grand-Master approached the altar, and mounting its
steps, he elevated the Host on high in the presence of
the assembled multitude, and prayed to heaven, on be-
F F 4

440 A HISTORY OF
half of the people committed to his charge, that God
would deign to give them fortitude and boldness to
defend His holy religion, and honour his sacred name ;
and that the fire and sword, the slaughter and rapine,
the carnage and slavery with which they were menaced
by the blood-thirsty Infidel, might through His infinite
mercy be averted from thein. L'Isle Adam, recognised
as he was as one of the first soldiers and most accom
plished captains of the day, was equally eminent for the
fervour of his piety and the earnestness of his religious
zeal. When, therefore, on this eventful morning, he
thus consecrated his cause to heaven, and appealed to
the Most High in terms of eloquent and touching sup
plication, for protection against the foe by whom his
city was menaced, his hearers felt that, under the leader
ship of such a man, their cause must be in good hands,
and that if it were the will of heaven that they should
prosper, none could better carry that decree into effect.
The religious ceremony being concluded, the doors of
the church Avere closed, and the garrison directed to
repair to their respective posts. The city gates were
shut and the bridges raised, flags were hoisted upon the
various bastions, and all stood awaiting the first scene
of the bloody drama. The Grand-Master, arrayed in
magnificent gilt armour, rode at the head of his guards,
with three Knights by his side, each bearing a banner;
one the grand standard of the Order, the second a ban
ner which had been presented by the Pope to D'Au
busson after the successful issue of the former siege had
become known, and the third a flag emblazoned with his
own coat of arms. This latter was borne by a young
English Knight named Henry Mansell, who was killed
early in the siege, after which his duty as a standard
bearer was performed by a French Knight.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 441
Not a man, woman, or child, on that eventful day,
remained within their houses ; but every point of view
from whence the motions of the hostile fleet could be
observed, was crowded with anxious gazers. Many
there were within that mingled crowd — men whose hair
time had sprinkled with silver, and on whose brows he
had ploughed his furrows — who, looking backward
through a long vista of years, could call to raind a scene
very similar to that on which their looks were now bent,
when, forty-two years back, their seas had been once
before covered with the proud fleet of that empire, be
tween which and themselves an undying animosity was
ever burning. Then they had triumphed gloriously,
and the God of battles had fought on their side. He
had espoused their cause against the Infidel swarms who
raged in impotent fury beneath their battlements ; He
had aided them to hurl back the ruthless invader from
their soil ; and even now the bones of thousands who
once had mustered in that proud array, lay whitened
beneath the soil of Rhodes. The husbandman still, in
the preparation of his land, ever and anon turned up
some relic to remind him of that strife, which he justly
esteemed his country's glory ; and amidst those plains
of verdure, with which the city was surrounded, many a
patch of green, more brilliant than the rest, was pointed
at as the spot where lay one of those numerous masses
of slain who were placed there in huddled confusion
after the retreat of their fellows.
With all these memorials of their former victory be
fore their eyes, and with the knowledge that the Rhodes
of the present time was far more complete in its defences,
and far more capable of resistance than that which had
maintained itself successfully forty years before ; with
the strains of martial music filling the air, and exhila-

442 A HISTORY OF
rating their hearts ; with the dazzling splendour of that
summer's sun flashing upon many a knightly crest, and
many a broidered pennon, it was natural that they
should feel a sense of confidence amounting almost to
exultation, and that they should look with a feeling
well nigh of certainty for the moment Avhen the foe, re
coiling in dismay from their ramparts, should once again
seek an ignominious safety in flight.
Some there were, however, who, spite of all these
brilliant auguries of success, gazed upon that gorgeous
pageant, which was then spread before their eyes, with
feelings of dread and terror. They well knew that the
power of Mahomet, even when at the zenith of his glory,
was far inferior to that of the prince who now swayed
the sceptre of the mighty Ottoman empire with undis
puted sovereignty. His career had, up to the present
moment, been one unbroken succession of triumphs;
the power had not as yet appeared which could with
stand the vigour of his attack ; the army which was now
pouring its numberless battalions upon the shores of
their fair isle exceeded that which they had before so
successfully resisted, not in mere numbers only, but also
in every detail of its equipment, and was led by generals
who had been trained to victory beneath the redoubted
banner of their universally-dreaded sultan. With these
adverse circumstances to contend against, it might
well prove that the constancy and bravery, even of
the Knights of St, John, might be unavailing, and that
they yet might live to see the day when the detested
banner of the Arabian impostor should wave over those
ramparts whereon they were now standing, and which
had been for so many years maintained in proud and
honourable security.

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 443

CHAP. XlV.
THE SECOND SIEGE OP RHODES. — COMMENCEMENT OF THE SIEGE. —
PLOT FORMED BT A FEMALE SLAVE WITHIN THE CITT. — DISPOSI
TION OP THE TURKISH AEMT.  DETAIL OP THEIR ARTILLERY. 
CONSTRUCTION OP CAVALIERS. — MINING OPERATIONS. — EXPLOSION
OP A MINE UNDEE THE BASTION OP ENGLAND, AND SUBSEQUENT
ASSAULT.  EEPEATED ATTACKS OP THE OTTOMANS, AND THEIR
INVARIABLE EEPULSE.  ACCUSATIONS BROUGHT AGAINST THE CHAN
CELLOR d'aMARAL.  HIS TRIAL AND EXECUTION,  DEVOTION AND
COURAGE OP THE EHODIAN WOMEN. — NEGOCIATIONS FOE SUE-
RENDER.  TERMS OFFERED BT SOLYMAN.  ACCEPTANCE OP THOSE
TERMS, AND CLOSE OP THE SIEGE,
The main difficulty against which L'Isle Adam had to
contend, in conducting the defence of Rhodes, was the
paucity of his garrison. Numerous tempting opportuni
ties constantly presented themselves for opposing the
besiegers by direct attack ; but as each of these attempts
must have involved a certain amount of loss, and as no
minor advantage could in any way compensate for
the most trifling diminution of his forces, the Grand-
Master found himself compelled to curb the ardour and
impatience of his followers, and to permit advances to
be made, which, had his numerical strength been greater,
he would have checked in the outset.
The nineteenth century has been by no means singu
lar in its production of marvellous propositions, such as
those of Captain Warner, Lord Dundonald, and others
of that class. It is recorded by Fontanus, in his history

444 A history of
of this siege, that a Florentine, named Girolamo Barto-
lini, brought forward a project whereby the whole
Turkish navy was to be destroyed at one blow. That
this suggestion was not adopted by L'Isle Adam, proves
that it did not bear within it the probabilities of suc
cess ; although his refusal has, byxontemporary writers,
who were ever anxious to blacken the reputation of
D'Amaral, been attributed to the malignant influence
of that Knight. L'Isle Adam was not the man to per
mit his judgment to be swayed by the opinions of
others ; and, had he received a favourable impression of
the project of Bartolini, it would not have been in the
power of D'Amaral to prevent its execution.
The disembarkation of the besieging armj?^, an occupa
tion which extended over many days, proceeded quietly,
and without interruption from the garrison, who
were busily engaged, during this period, in making their
last preparations to meet the coming storm. All pre
liminary measures having been completed, the Turks
broke ground, under cover of a cannonade, and com
menced the construction of their trenches, with the aid
of the Wallachian peasants, who had been brought for
that purpose. The Rhodians, on their side, harassed
the advances of the working parties by constant sorties,
in which the impetuosity of their attack, and the su
periority of their valour, invariably gave them the
advantage. These incessant checks greatly impeded
the advance of the trenches ; whilst, on each occasion,
vast numbers of the defenceless pioneers fell beneath the
sword of the garrison.
Disaffection had, indeed, from the very commence
ment of the expedition, shown itself throughout the
Ottoman host. Upon the night when the fleet had first

the knights of MALTA. 445
made its appearance, a deserter succeeded in making his
escape from one of the ships then lying at a distance of
several miles from the coast. He was picked up at St.
Nicholas's tower, having swam a distance stated to be
between six and seven miles, under cover of the night.
This fugitive, after having given correct information as
to the magnitude of the force composing the expedition,
stated that there was great reluctance on the part of the
janissaries to engage in the operation. The history
of the failure in the attempt made by their ancestors,
forty years before, was well known to all of them, and the
almost superhuman valour displayed on that occasion
by the Knights of St. John had lost nothing of its
terror by constant repetition. They were well aware
that since that day much had been done to strengthen
the defences of the fortress, and they were much dis
posed to look upon Rhodes, defended as it was by such
a frowning mass of batteries, and garrisoned by the
lion-hearted race before whom their forefathers had so
often recoiled, as almost entirely impregnable.
The ill success of their first attempts in pushing for
ward the siege-works, and the fearful slaughter com
mitted amongst their pioneers, by the constant and
harassing sorties of the garrison, completed their dis
affection. Murmurs and remonstrances soon made them
selves heard throughout the camp, and it was with diffi
culty that the troops could be induced to advance to
what they considered certain destruction. Pyrrhus Pasha,
an aged counsellor in whom Solyman placed the highest
confidence, and who had been appointed to accompany
the army, rather in the light of an adviser than a gene
ral, deemed it necessary to report this disaffection of the
janissaries to his master, informing him that nothing

446 A history of
short of his own immediate presence on the spot could
control the turbulence of the mutineers. Solyman had
staked too much on the issue of the struggle to permit of
its miscarriage through any dissatisfaction on the part of
his own troops; and his decision was very promptly formed,
so soon as he became acquainted with the case. Hastily
assembling a force of some 15,000 men, he at once
hurried to the scene of action, determined to stifle by
his presence every symptom of revolt, before it should
have had time to gain head against him. By a judicious
mixture of clemency and severity, he rapidly restored
the spirit of his army ; and the late mutineers, ashamed
in the presence of their redoubtable sultan, of those
murmurings and that insubordination in which they had
indulged, now became fired with an anxious desire to
efface the memory of their cowardice, and fighting, as they
did, under the eye of their monarch, sought only for an
opportunity to distinguish themselves.
Meanwhile, a plot of a most dangerous character had
been discovered within the limits of the city, the details
of which had been arranged, and were to have been
carried into execution by a woman. This female, who
was a slave within the town, and a Turk by nation,
eager for the success of her countrymen, and, at the
same time, anxious to regain her own freedom, devised the
idea of setting fire to the city at several points, and of
giving admission to the besiegers during the confusion
which would ensue. This design she communicated to
several of her fellow slaves, and she even succeeded in
establishing an intelligence with the commander of the
Turkish army. The hour for the attempt had already been
agreed upon, and all the necessary arrangements made
to ensure its complete success, when, by an inadvertency

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 417
on the part of one of the confederates, the existence of
the plot became revealed to the authorities. The con
spirators were at once seized and subjected to torture ;
under the agony of which a complete confession was
extorted from all concerned, excepting only the adven
turous female who had devised the scheme, and who
stoutly maintained her innocence, in spite of the ex
treme tortures to which she was subjected. Her con
stancy remained unshaken to the end; and she suffered
the last penalty of the law without breathing one syllable
to inculpate either herself or others. Of her guilt,
however, if guilt such an attempt can be called on the
part of one who was detained a slave within the town,
there was not the shadow of a doubt ; and her severed
limbs, publicly exposed upon the ramparts, served ever
after as a warning to deter others from similar projects.
Suspicions of treason throughout this siege appear to
have been very prevalent ; and the rumours to that
effect which were constantly being spread about, en
gendered an universal feeling of distrust, highlj' preju
dicial to the maintenance of good discipline within the
garrison. Many of these suspicions were entirely
groundless, and the offspring of pure imagination ; still,
there lurked within the ramparts an amount of treachery
amply sufficient to account for their existence. The
Jewish doctor still resided within the town, and suc
ceeded in maintaining an intercourse with the Turkish
leaders, whereby much valuable information was im
parted to them. It was by his suggestion that the
besieging artillery was turned against St, John's church,
from which elevated spot the garrison had been enabled
to overlook the whole Turkish camp, and to trace their
operations in the trenches, A few days' practice at so

448 A HISTORY OF
elevated a target, sufficed to achieve its overthrow, and
the Knights were from that time deprived of a post of
observation which they had found extremely useful.
The numerous sorties in which the garrison had in
dulged during the earlier days of the siege had, it is
true, materially impeded the works of the besiegers, and
caused the slaughter of vast crowds of their Wallachian
pioneers, but these successes had not been gained with
out the occurrence of a certain amount of loss to them
selves, and L'Isle Adam, who felt that every life under
his command was of more value to him than a hundred
were to the Turks, in whose countless battalions such
casualties made but little impression, strictly forbade
their further continuance. The Turks were thus
enabled to labour at their trenches and batteries, with
out any further opposition on the part of the town, other
than could be afforded by the ceaseless play of artillery,
which was brought to bear upon every point of -ap
proach with the most fatal precision and accuracy.
The cessation of these sorties prevented the capture of
any further prisoners being effected, and the Grand-
Master speedily found the disadvantage of being no
longer acquainted with the movements which took place
within the enemy's camp. In this dilemma, a party of
sailors undertook to provide the information so much
required ; dressing themselves in Turkish habiliments,
and speaking the language of that country with facility,
they left the harbour during the night in a boat, and
coasting along the shore, proceeded fearlessly into the
midst of the Turkish encampment. Here they suc
ceeded in inveigling two genuine Moslems into their
craft, and returned undiscovered into the town. The
unfortunate captives were at once taken up to the top

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 449
of St. John's tower, which had not as yet been de
molished ; and there they were questioned by Martinigo,
the Venetian engineer, and two other Knights, upon
various points connected with the besiegers' array; and
they were very plainly given to understand, that at the
least symptom of prevarication on their parts, or at the
slightest hesitation to afford the information demanded,
they would at once be hurled headlong from the dizzy
height on which they stood. Under the pressure of
such a menace as this, one too which the stern glances
of their captors proved to be no idle jest, everything
which they knew connected with their army was at once
disclosed to their interrogators.
The order in which the besiegers' forces were en
camped thus became known to the defenders. Their
lines stretched in a complete arc round the ramparts of
the city, their flanks resting on the water's edge at
either side. On the extreme left stood the detachment
commanded by the pirate Curtoglu ; next to whom were
the janissaries, commanded by their aga ; then the
troops of the Beglier Bey of Natolia ; on St, Stephen's
hill, which was the centre of the position, were the far
famed Maraelouks, who composed the personal body
guard of the sultan ; next to whom were the divisions
of Achmet Pasha and Pyrrhus Pasha ; the circuit being
closed by the troops under the command of Mustapha
Pasha, who was Captain-General of the whole expedition.
As their fleet stretched across from one flank to the
other, the unfortunate garrison was completely sur
rounded both by land and sea, and it was impossible for
any reinforcement to effect an entrance into the port
without breaking through the strict blockade which had
been established.
VOL. I. OQ

450 A HISTORY OF
The Ottoman sultan had staked his military renown
upon the successful issue of the enterprise, and from
the moraent when he first planted his foot upon the
Rhodian soil he determined either to witness his banner
waving in triumph Over its far-famed ramparts, or to
find a grave in that land which he had attempted to
conquer. In order to mark distinctly his fixed de
termination to persist in the prosecution of the siege, he
caused his soldiers to build him a palace within the
limits of the camp, of so durable a character, as to
preclude all idea of departure. When, indeed, we con
sider the enormous multitude whose lengthened array
stretched around the devoted city, it appears almost
incredible that any serious attempt at resistance should
have been made ; but the Knights of St. John had never
been accustomed to count their foes, and, justly proud of
those fortifications which it had taken their fraternity
two hundred years to raise, they would have maintained
their attitude of defiance though their island had
swarmed with twice that number of invaders.
From the same source whence he had gained the
information already detailed, Martinigo also learnt the
number and magnitude of the battering train which had
accompanied Solyman's army. This train included six
brass cannon, for throwing balls of three palms and a
half in dimensions ; fifteen others of from five to six
palms ; twelve large bombards of from nine to ten
palms ; two others still larger, measuring eleven palms.
In addition to these there were twelve basilisks of eight
palms, and fifteen double cannon for throwing iron balls.
There were also twelve brass mortars for vertical fire,
carrying balls of from seven to eight palms. From these
mortars the cannoneers of the Turkish army had ex-

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 451
pected great advantage ; and an incessant fire was
poured from them into the town. Bourbon records
that they discharged 1713 stone shot, and eight brass
balls, filled with artificial fire, during the early part of
the siege. These brass balls were in all probability the
first attempt at shells which history has recorded ; and
from the fact that so few were made use of, we may
probably conclude that they were not found to answer
the purpose for which they were intended.
The sultan had not long continued the direction of
the siege before he discovered that from the position in
Avhich his trenches were situated he was unable to gain
any command over the fortifications which he was at
tacking. To obviate this difficulty, he directed two
large cavaliers to be raised ; one in front of the bastion
of Italy, the other between the posts of Spain and Au
vergne, As the site selected for these stupendous works
was completely commanded by the cannon of the town,
and as, from the strenuous manner in which the opera
tion was pushed forward, it became evident to the
garrison that something of more than ordinary im
portance and magnitude was contemplated, every battery
which could be brought to bear upon the spot played
with unceasing vehemence ; and the losses sustained by
the Turkish pioneers was prodigious. Heaps of slain
marked the advance of the structure ; but as Solyman
held the lives of these unfortunate peasantry in no
esteem, the labour was pushed forward with undi
minished energy. Spite of all the power of the Rhodian
artillery, the mounds rose higher and higher, until at
length they dominated over the ramparts in their front,
and exposed the defenders to a galling fire from their
summit. Q a 2

452 A HISTORY OF
Whilst this work was being carried on, a division was
made in the Turkish camp, by which the circuit of
attack was divided amongst the principal leaders of the
army. Mustapha Pasha directed that against the Eng
lish quarter ; Pyrrhus Pasha was opposed to the Italians ;
Achmet Pasha, assisted by the aga of the janissaries,
directed the operations against the bastions of Spain
and Auvergne ; the Beglier Bey of Natolia against
Provence ; and the Beglier Bey of Romania, from the
gardens of St, Anthony, opposed himself to the German
post in the tower of St, Nicholas. Several futile attempts
were made to reduce the German bastion and the tower
of St. Nicholas, but the powerful fire brought to bear
upon the Turkish batteries by the skill of Martinigo
utterly annihilated their efficiency.
A more general distribution of their cannon Avas then
decided upon ; and for a whole month the air resounded
with the constant roar of artillery, which in all di
rections was belching forth its murderous fire against
the ramparts of the devoted city. The bastions of
England and Italy soon began to show signs of the
vigour with which they had been attacked ; at the
former spot a new rampart had been constructed around
the old one, but a short time prior to the commencement
of the siege, and this new wall it was which gave way.
The more ancient one proved a better defence, and re
sisted the shock of the enemy's artillery long after the
othei* had crumbled. The unflagging energy of the
garrison repaired these damages as rapidly as they were
caused, by the sinking of ditches, and the construction
of retrenchments behind the vulnerable points. Soly
man perceived that, with antagonists such as these, a
simple war of artillery might last for ever, since in every

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 453
direction new defences sprang up as rapidly as the old
were demolished ; he determined, therefore, upon push
ing forward his attack upon different principles ; and
for this purpose he had recourse to mining. Shafts
were sunk in various directions, and galleries driven
forward beneath the principal bastions. Martinigo had,
•however, foreseen the probability of this mode of ap
proach ; and the countermines which he had prepared
before the commencement of the siege materially assisted
him in opposing them. By the simple aid of the distended
parchment of a drum, he was enabled to detect the
vicinity of the enemy's miners when at work, through
the vibration of the earth ; and his measures were taken
accordingly to destroy their advance.
Two galleries, however, which had been driven be
neath the bastion of England, eluded his vigilance, and
the first warning which the defenders at that post
received was conveyed in the form of two fearful
explosions, which overthrew the entire salient of the
work, A battalion of Turks, who had been drawn up
within their trenches, awaiting the result of springing
the mine, no sooner beheld the cloud of dust and the
volume of smoke which darted into the air, and heard
the crash which betokened the downfall of the rampart
and the opening of a way for themselves into the heart
of the city, than they dashed forward with a wild shout
of triumph, and mounting the breach still smoking in
its ruins, gained the summit before the defenders,
aghast at the calamity which had befallen them,
could regain sufficient presence of mind to oppose the
onslaught. The standard of the Prophet was planted
on the conquered rampart, and the victorious foe,
flushed with this moraent of success, pushed forward
G G 3

454 A HISTORY OF
with redoubled ardour, until the bastion appeared
inevitably lost. Here, however, they were fortunately
brought to a check by the inner retrenchment, behind
which the Knights, now recovered from their mo
mentary confusion, ' opposed a steady and obstinate
resistance. At this critical juncture the Grand-Master
made his appearance upon the scene, followed by
the body-guard who always accompanied him. At
the moment of the explosion, he had been engaged in
the celebration of mass in the chapel of St, Mary of
Victory, built by D'Aubusson, The alarm reached him
at the moment when the officiating priest had intoned
the prayer " Deus in adjutorium meum intende." " I
accept the angury," cried out the Grand-Master, and
then turning to those by whom he was surrounded, he
exclaimed, " Come, ray brethren, let us exchange the
sacrifice of our prayers and praises for that of our lives,
and let us die, if God so wills it, in defence of our
religion." Roused to enthusiasm by this noble exhor
tation, they rushed to the point of assault, hurled them
selves into the midst of the contending battalions, and
in a few moments carried all before them. Foremost
in the fray stood L'Isle Adam, his gigantic and burly
frame conspicuous amidst his compeers, as armed with
a short pike he dashed vehemently at the foe, and both
by word and deed encouraged his followers to drive
back the invading swarms, A few moments of despe
rate strife sufficed to attest the moral and physical
superiority of the Knights of St, John, Cowering
under the withering storm directed against their front,
the Turks, unable not only to advance but even to
maintain themselves upon the ground already gained,
gradually gave way, and poured in confusion back

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 455
through the breach which they had so shortly before
entered in triumph.
Mustapha Pasha had been watching the fortunes of
the day from the advanced trenches, and had been
congratulating himself with the hopes that Rhodes was
gained. He was not, however, long left in the indul
gence of this vain dream, and his fury, as he beheld his
receding battalions fleeing tumultuously from the scene
of strife, exceeded all bounds. Hastily drawing his
scimitar, he rushed upon the foremost of the fugitives,
and in the vehemence of his rage, cut down several
with his own hand. The remainder, staggered at this
unlooked for proceeding, and finding that they had as
much to fear from a retreat as from an advance, rallied
at his call. Led by himself in person, the breach was
once more mounted, and the struggle again renewed.
Their advantage, however, had now been lost, and it
was not possible even for the valour of Mustapha to
restore the fortunes of the day. Bravely, however, he
combated, and fiercely he struggled once again to
penetrate within the ruined rampart, but it was vain.
The breach was now crowned by those who were well
able to maintain it against all the turbaned hosts whom
he could hurl upon their serried front ; and the baffled
and discomfited columns of the Infidel were eventually
forced to relinquish the strife, and to retire in despair
to the shelter of their trenches.
It would prove an almost endless task to describe the
constant succession of assaults by means of which
Mustapha endeavoured to regain the advantage which
he had lost in his first attempt. In each case the
means employed, both in the attack and the defence,
were almost precisely similar ; and they invariably
G G 4

456 A HISTORY OF
ended in the discomfiture of the Infidels, who were
always driven back into their trenches with the most
fearful slaughter. Indeed, the detail of the events
which occurred during the month of September would
consist of a succession of scenes similar to those already
depicted. The sudden alarm, caused either by the ex
plosion of a mine, or the appearance of the foe de
filing in battle array from his trenches ; the hasty
call to arms, the ringing of the bells, whereby the im
pending danger was notified to the garrison generally,
the rush of the assailants, the firm stand of the de
fenders, the fiercely shouted war-cry re-echoing from
either side, the roar of artillery, and the incessant rattle
of the smaller pieces of ordnance, the shouts of the
combatants, the fearful groans of the wounded, the
flashing of Greek fire, and the fatal hissing of the
seething pitch, as its deadly contents were poured upon
the foe who were swarming upon the breach ; such
were the principal details of the hideous picture which
these scenes of strife invariably presented ; what need,
therefore, to repeat the tale ? The results are the only
real points of importance, and these were invariably the
same. Though the assaulting columns were numbered
by thousands and tens of thousands, selected from the
choicest flower of Solyman's army, whilst the defenders
consisted of but a few hundred Christians, harassed,
exhausted, and weakened by their previous efforts;
still upon each successive occasion the countless swarms
of the Moslem were forced to recoil from the impassable
barrier of Christian steel.
Thus upon the 13th, the 17th, and the 24th of Sep
tember, the most furious attempts were made to carry
the town. Upon the 13th of September the attack was

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 457
made on the Itahan quarter; on the 17th the Enghsh
bastion withstood the violence of the assault, the
celebrated English commander, John Buck, falling upon
this occasion gloriously at the head of his language.
Upon the 24th of September, in accordance with the
suggestions of Mustapha, the attack was not confined
to a single point, but was directed against every quarter
where a practicable breach had been made in the ram
parts. The bastions of Spain, Italy, and Auvergne
were all assailed simultaneously ; yet even this gigantic
effort of superior force failed in its purpose. Although
several temporary advantages enabled the besiegers to
gain a footing upon the rampart, and to plant the
standard of their religion upon its blood-stained summit,
still the success was in each case but momentary, and the
impetuous onset of the garrison invariably ended by re
storing the fortunes of the day. In order to encourage the
efforts of his soldiery by his own immediate presence, the
sultan had caused a scaffolding to be erected, from
whence he might personally witness the success of the
assault. He had fired his soldiers with the prospect of
an enormous booty, having promised to yield up to
them the whole plunder of the city ; and this, combined
with the knowledge that they were combating under
the immediate eye of their sovereign, had roused them
to a pitch of enthusiasm such as he had fondly hoped
must prove the precursor of victory. If, however, the
assailants Avere fired by the hope of gain, and the pros
pect of distinction, the defenders were equally nerved to
the combat by an enthusiastic sense of religious devo
tion, and by the energy which despair had brought to
their aid. The latter incentives proved in the event
victorious, and Solyman had the mortification of wit-

458 A HISTORY OF
nessing, from his lofty post of observation, the utter
discomfiture of his forces.
Sounding a retreat, he descended to his tent, and in
the bitterness of his mortification resolved, to wreak
his vengeance on those who had originally counselled
the expedition. Both Mustapha and Pyrrhus were
condemned to instant execution ; and the sentence
Avould most certainly have been carried into effect,
had not the other captains of the host, by their in
tercession, prevailed on him to reverse the decree.
They were, however, banished from the camp, and
forced to return to Asia, whilst the siege was yet in
abeyance. The Admiral Curtoglu was reserved for
a far more humiliating fate, having been sentenced
to undergo the indignity of corporal punishment on
the poop of his own galley ; after which he was igno
miniously expelled from the fleet: the reason alleged
for this severity being, that he had neglected to make
use of the opportunities presented to him of aiding the
land forces in their assault by means of a naval diversion.
Whilst these successes were enabling the garrison still
to maintain their resistance against the Turks, the seeds
of those disastrous results which were eventually to ac
complish the loss of the town had commenced to show
themselves. Although, prior to the commencement of the
siege, it had been reported to L'Isle Adam, by the com
missioners appointed for that purpose, that the quantity
of powder stored in their magazines was sufficient for a
siege, even though its duration should extend for upwards
of a year, yet a month had barely elapsed before it became
manifest that the supply was too limited for the occasion.
In addition to the powder within the magazines, there
were large stores of saltpetre within the town; and

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 459
L'Isle Adam promptly estabhshed a manufactory of
gunpowder, under the immediate superintendence of
two Knights and a committee of citizens. Even with
this aid, however, it became necessary to practise the
most rigid economy in the expenditure of ammunition ;
and the efforts of the garrison, in opposing the ap
proaches of the besiegers, were much constrained and
impeded by this vital want.
Treason also shortly began to display itself. The in
cident of the female slave who had organised a rising in
aid of her countrymen without the walls, has already
been mentioned ; and the dread of a similar attempt on
the part of her fellow slaves was a perpetual source of
apprehension. The Jewish doctor Avho had been placed
in Rhodes as a spy by the father of Solyman, and who
had contrived to maintain a constant correspondence
with Mustapha during the siege, was at length detected
in the very act of discharging a treasonous billet into
the enemy's camp, attached to an arrow. The evidence
against him was positive and conclusive ; he was never
theless submitted to the torture, in the hope of eliciting
from him the extent of his misdeeds, and, under its
pressure, he confessed to having informed the enemy of
the dearth of ammunition, and state of destitution in
which the town was plunged ; and that he had urged
them to persevere in the siege in spite of every obstacle,
as they were sure eventually to prove successful. His
fate was such as he deserved, but the mischief he had
caused did not end with him, as, but for the information
which he had imparted, in all human probability Rhodes
would not have fallen.
As it was, the constant ill-success which had attended
his efforts, and the fearful carnage which had decimated

460 A HISTORY OF
his troops, caused Solyman to pause, and ponder well
the advisability of abandoning the enterprise. At that
moment the fate of the city hung suspended in the
balance, and a feather's weight would have inclined it
in her favour. Truly it was a glorious sight, to con
template an army of well nigh 200,000 men thus baffled
and held at bay by a garrison reduced through its many
casualties to little more than 1500 fighting men. Those
fortifications with which they had, at so great a cost of
labour and material, surrounded the enceinte of their
town, had crumbled beneath the indefatigable artillery
of the enemy. Huge gaping breaches in every direction
laid open the town to instant assault, and yet, destitute
though they had become of even the ordinary neces
saries of life ; short of powder, food, and wine ; they still
protracted the defence Avith undiminished obstinacy, and
stood upon the shattered relics of their bulwarks, deter
mined to maintain them whilst there yet remained a
Knight to oppose with his person the entrance of a
Turk. It is not surprising that in this desperate situation
men should lend a ready ear to tales of treason amongst
themselves. It was evident to every mind that treachery
did exist somewhere within the garrison ; all that went
on within the town was well-known to Solyman, and
many points in his attack had been altered in conse
quence of information which he had received. They
scarcely knew where to look for the traitor that was
among them, and each one glanced fearfully at his
neighbour, as though feeling that in such a case none
were to be trusted. At this critical moment, suspicion
was directed against the superior dignitaries of the
Order by a Spanish pilgrim, a female of great reputed

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 461
sanctity, who was then residing at Rhodes, having lately
returned from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Her pious
demeanour had gained her great influence amongst the
people, who were led to attribute to her supernatural
powers. This woman, perambulating the streets with
naked feet, commenced denouncing some of their leaders,
asserting that the calamities which had befallen Rhodes
were the results of the vengeance of God, called down
upon them on account of the iniquities prevailing
amongst their chiefs. No names were mentioned, but
general suspicion, thus turned in a particular direction,
awaited but the slightest mark to draw down the ven
geance of the community upon the unfortunate indi
vidual who might become its victim.
Whilst the ferment was at its height, a servant of the
chancellor D'Amaral, named Blaise Diaz, was detected
on the bastion of D' Auvergne with a bow in his hand.
As this was not the first time that he had been seen
under similar circumstances, he was arrested and brought
before the Grand-Master. By his order the man was
interrogated before the judges of the castellany, and
under the influence of the question he admitted his
guilt, averring that he had been employed by his master
to discharge treasonable correspondence into the enemy's
camp. D'Amaral was at once arrested and confronted
with his accuser, who in his presence repeated the charge.
No sooner had the name of the chancellor become bruited
abroad, in connection with the treason that had so dis
turbed the minds of the populace, than numbers rushed
forward, eager to add corroborative testimony in sup
port of the accusation. The arrogance of his conduct,
and the haughty insolence of his bearing, had created
him many enemies in every sphere of life ; and noAV,

462 A HISTORY OF
when the cloud of suspicion had fallen upon his fair
fame, all were ready to lend a helping hand to complete
his destruction ; nor was there found one to breathe a
word for the undeviating gallantry of his conduct during
the forty years of good service which he had rendered
to the Order. A Greek priest deposed that he had
seen the chancellor with Diaz on the bastion of Au
vergne, and that the latter had discharged an arrow
with a letter attached to it from the rampart. Other
evidence Avas also adduced to prove that on the election
of L'Isle Adam, he had asserted that that Knight would
be the last Grand-Master of Rhodes, Upon this testi
mony he was submitted to torture, which, however, he
bore with unswerving fortitude, asserting that he had
nothing to reveal, and that at the close of a life spent
in the service of the Order, he would not disgrace his
former career by the assertion of a falsehood to rescue
his aged limbs from the pain of the rack.
His firmness and constancy did not avail to save him
from those who were clamorous for his death. The
concentrated hatred of years was now poured upon his
devoted head, and his doom was irrevocably sealed,
Diaz, of whose guilt there could not be the shadow
of a doubt, was sentenced to be hanged and quartered ;
which decree was carried into execution on the 6 th of
November, D'Amaral, whose rank forbade so degrading
a death, was doomed to be beheaded. Prior to this last
scene, however, it was necessary that he should be
stripped of the habit of his Order, which ceremony was
carried into effect in the church of St. John, on the 7th
of November, and on the following day he suffered the
last penalty of the law, in the public square, with the

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 463
same dignity and firmness that had characterised the
whole of his previous conduct.
Of the two contemporary writers who have given
accounts of this siege, both of whom were eye-witnesses to
the events they record, one, namely the Chevalier de Bour
bon, asserts the guilt of the chancellor without hesita
tion, and may be fairly taken as the mouthpiece of the
general opinion within the town. The other, however,
Fontanus, who was one of the judges appointed to in
vestigate the charge, is far more obscure upon the
matter, and a careful perusal of his work leads to the
supposition that he had detected no proofs of guilt in
D'Amaral, Never, perhaps, was man condemned to
death upon weaker evidence. The deposition of his own
servant, who, it must be remembered, had been detected
in a treasonable act, and might naturally wish to save
himself by fixing the guilt of the transaction upon
another, should have been received with great caution.
The evidence of the Greek priest was absolutely worth
less. Why, if he had previously witnessed the trans
mission of treasonable communications, had he not
denounced the criminal at once, at a time when treason
was known to be fraught with so imminent a danger ?
The explanation which D'Amaral gave of this man's
evidence was probably correct, when he asserted that it
was the effect of spite, owing to his having frequently
had occasion to find fault with the looseness of his life,
so scandalous in a member of his profession. That was
not, however, a moment when men weighed calmly
either their motives or their actions. The mere suspi
cion of treason was in itself sufficient for condemnation,
and the chancellor D'Amaral fell a noble, and as far as

464 A HISTORY OF
history can judge, an innocent victim to popular
clamour. Meanwhile, the sultan was weighing in his own mind
the advisability of abandoning the siege ; and this design
he would have carried into effect had he not been in
formed by an Albanian deserter of the state of destitu
tion to which the garrison was reduced. Upon the
receipt of this information, he at length determined to
persevere; and either to triumph over the obstinate
resistance of the town, or to find a grave beneath its
soil. Upon the degradation of Mustapha, Achmet Pasha
had been nominated to the chief command ; and under
his leadership several fresh assaults were made, and. as
invariably repulsed. Upon each occasion the breaches
became wider, and the ramparts more untenable ; the
defenders were fcAver, and their strength more exhausted ;
hope had given Avay to despair, and the prospect of a
relief from Europe had grown more and more dim ;
still the foe was ever driven back, and Solyman was
forced to admit that he should be enabled to enter the
city only Avhen the last of its illustrious defenders lay
stretched upon its ramparts.
Not only the men in this desperate struggle earned
for themselves the proud meed of glory so protracted a
defence well merited ; the women of Rhodes, in the
fearful emergency, proved themselves worthy helpmates
to the heroic garrison. Many stories are told of their
courage and devotion during the trying crisis ; and
throughout they appear to have aided materially, by
precept and example, in maintaining the constancy of the
besieged. One woman, a Greek by birth, and either the
Avife or the mistress of an ofl&cer of the garrison,
(since she is variously reported as either), gained for her

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 465
memory an imperishable renown by her sad though
brilhant fate, upon the occasion of one of these latter
assaults. She had been engaged in bringing wine and
refreshments to the defenders, when, at the very moment
that the Turks appeared about to force the barrier
opposed to them, and penetrate into the town, she saw
her husband struck to the earth, and perish beneath the
Aveapons of the assailants. Overwhelmed with despair
at this sad spectacle, she rushed to her home, conceiving
that the last hour of Rhodian freedom had arrived, and
that the foe were even then penetrating into the toAvn,
VoAving that her children should never fall alive into
the hands of the Turks, to be trained up in the errors
of Islamism, and to become apostates to that religion in
Avhich they had been born, she slew them both, and
then returning to the scene of strife, rushed into the
thickest of the struggle, and fell covered with wounds ;
not, however, before she had amply avenged the fate of
her lover.
When the women were capable of acts such as these,
the glorious defence which Rhodes effected ceases to be
matter of surprise. There is, however, a limit to the
powers of human endurance, and the time had now come
when that limit appears to have been reached. The re
sistance which was still offered was as indomitable
as ever ; although the Turk had established himself per
manently upon two distinct points on the ramparts, he
was not yet master of the place ; and as each successive
bulwark was forced and abandoned, fresh ones sprang up.
The churches of St. Pantaleon and Notre Dame de la
Victorie had both been destroyed to prevent their occu
pation by the advancing enemy, and their ruins had
served to form a fresh barrier to his progress. Well
VOL. I, H II

466 A HISTORY OF
might Solyman begin to despair of ever calling the city
his own ; for six months had he poured all the gigantic
resources in his possession against its bulwarks, sixty
thousand men had, according to the statement of
Achmet Pasha himself, fallen beneath the swords of the
garrison, in addition to from forty to fifty thousand who
had succumbed to disease and the inclemency of the
weather ; and yet, a,fter all this sacrifice, he found
himself advancing into the town, only in the face of
ever-renewing barricades. He might, it was true, by
the sheer force of numbers, and an obstinate persever
ance in the contest, gradually destroy even the last
vestige of resistance, but it would be only to gain a ruin
tenanted by corpses.
Then, too, he could not hope that succour for the
garrison would be much longer delayed in its arrival.
Owing to the disturbed character of European politics,
he had been ena,bled to continue his struggle against
Rhodes for a period of six months unmolested ; but
now that the gallant resistance it was maintaining was
being told throughout Europe with enthusiasm; when
men were gazing with admiration upon the spectacle
thus afforded to them, he could not expect that he
would much longer be left to pursue his object undis
turbed. Under these circumstances he acquiesced
eagerly in the proposal of Achmet Pasha, that the gar
rison should be invited to capitulate. Unwilling, how
ever, that such a suggestion should appear to emanate
from himself personally, he directed a Genoese, named
Monilio, who was present in his camp, to undertake the
mission. Matters were prepared for him by the trans
mission of sundry letters, which were shot into the
town, and in which the sultan urged upon the people

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 467
to surrender, promising both hfe and hberty for them
selves and families, in case of a speedy compliance, and
threatening them with the most dire vengeance, should
their resistance be further protracted.
When these letters had had sufficient time to create
the effect intended, Monilio presented himself one
morning before the bastion of Auvergne, requesting an
interview with Matteo de Via, one of the leading citi
zens of Rhodes. Upon this request being refused, he
commenced to urge those to whom he was speaking to
demand terms of capitulation from the sultan, drawing,
at the same time, a most fearful picture of the conse
quences, in case they neglected to do so. In this
attempt he met with a haughty repulse, being informed
that the Knights of St. John only treated with the
Infidels sword in hand. With this unsatisfactory ansAver,
Monilio returned to the camp, but two days later he
again appeared, bearing, as he averred, a letter from the
sultan to the Grand-Master, This letter L'Isle Adam
refused to receive, and the messenger was informed that
if he attempted any further parleying, he would be
fired upon. The Grand-Master had long since decided
upon the line of conduct he intended to pursue. He
was well aware that his OAvn resources were too far
exhausted to admit of his protracting the defence much
longer. Still he had ever in vicAV the prospect of a relief
from Europe ; and even if this last hope should fail
him, he had determined to make the ruins of Rhodes
the common grave of himself and his brethren, ere he
would submit to yield it to the Infidel.
Had the toAvn contained within its limits none but
members of the Order of St. John, this resolution would
most indubitably have been carried into effect, and
B II 2

468 A HISTORY OF
history would have had to record a far bloodier and
more tragical termination than that which Providence
decreed should be the fate of the city. It no sooner,
however, became noised abroad that the subject of
capitulation had been mooted from the Infidel camp,
than a cabal arose in the town to urge its acceptance.
There Avere not wanting those who preferred life to the
glory of a further resistance ; and, indeed, it may well
be considered, that to men unfettered by the vows
Avhich bound the members of the Order, further opposi
tion, under such hopeless circumstances, must have
appeared perfect madness. The principal citizens com
missioned their metropolitan to urge upon the Grand-
Master the necessity of treating Avith the enemy. L'Isle
Adam now found that it did not depend entirely upon
himself to carry his heroic resolutions into effect.
Without the concurrence of the citizens, this would be
impossible ; and the metropolitan openly assured hira
that that concurrence would not be obtained,
A council was therefore summoned to deliberate upon
the matter ; and, whilst it was sitting, three deputies
from the townspeople appeared, who presented a petition
signed by the principal inhabitants, in which they im
plored the Order to provide for the safety of their wives
and children, and to rescue from the polluting profana
tions of the Infidel those holy relics of their religion
Avhich they all held in such high veneration. The
petition closed Avith a threat that if the Order neglected
to comply Avith its requests, the inhabitants would feel
themselves bound by every law divine and human to
secure the safety of those dearer to them than life,
through their OAvn efforts. Upon hearing this petition,
the Grand-Master called upon the prior of St, Gilles,

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 469
and the engineer Martinigo, to report upon the existing
state of the town and fortifications. Thereupon, tlie
latter rose and asserted, upon his honour and upon his
conscience, that he did not consider the place longer
tenable ; that the slaves and other pioneers had all
been either killed or wounded, so that they were no
longer able to muster a sufficient amount of labour to
move a piece of artillery from one battery to another ;
that it was impossible without men to carry on the
repairs and reconstructions rendered necessary by the
constant bombardraents of the foe ; that their ammuni
tion and stores had long since been consumed, and the
little powder Avhieh remained was barely sufficient to
enable them to resist tAvo more assaults ; and that seeing
the great advantage Avhich the enemy had gained, they
being already established within the town, without any
possibility of dislodging them, he was of opinion that
the city was lost, and that there Avas no further hope of
saving it. The prior of St. Gilles corroborated this
statement in every particular, and joined with Martinigo
in urging the necessity of a capitulation.
The council was long and stormy : many there were
who like the Grand-Master were desirous of emulating
the self-devotion of their predecessors, and of burying
themselves, and all belonging to them, beneath the ruins
of Rhodes, ere they would permit the contamination of
the Infidel's presence in the guise of a conqueror. Had
the Knights been alone within the city, and had there
not been a large and defenceless population placed under
their charge, this glorious but suicidal line of policy
Avould have been adopted. As it was, however, there
were not wanting men in that council chamber who per
ceived that in passing this sentence of doom upon them-
H H 3

470 A HISTORY OF
selves they Avere also drawing doAvn destruction upon
others, who had no religious call for such a sacrifice,
and who, having faithfully stood by them during many
an eventful struggle, were now entitled to ample con
sideration at their hands. A further protraction of the
defence would involve not only their own deaths, which
they were justified in sacrificing for their faith, but also
the ruthless and indiscriminate massacre of all the male
population, the brutal violation of the women, the
slavery of the children who would be trained up as
apostates to their religion, and the profanation and de
struction of those sacred relics which they prized so
highly, and in the possession of which they considered
themselves greatly favoured amidst the communities of
Christendom. Moreover, they felt that the question at
issue was not left entirely in their oavu hands. They
might, it is true, decide upon maintaining the struggle,
and thereby doom the town and all its inhabitants to
certain destruction ; but would the people stand tamely
by and see themselves thus marked out for slaughter,
without opposing an effort, simply because the council
had so decreed it ? The memorial which had already
been read proved that such would not be the case ; and
that if they were not prepared to capitulate themselves,
there were those among the people who would not
hesitate to take the matter into their own hands.
If the town were to be yielded, it was far better that
it should be by the unanimous act of its garrison, which
would ensure their obtaining better terms from the
sultan than he would be disposed to grant if he
once knew that there was a division in their councils.
It was therefore decreed that the next offer of parley
should be accepted ; and that the Grand-Master should

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 471
be authorised to secure the best terms which he could
obtain. The chiefs of Solyman's army were too desirous
of putting a stop to the fearful effusion of blood which
had now been going on for six months, and of obtaining
possession, upon almost any terms, of that city which
seemed, as it Were, to recede from their grasp as they
advanced, to keep the garrison waiting long for an
opportunity of negotiation.
Upon the tenth of December, a white flag was observed
Avaving from the top of a church, standing within the
limits of the Turkish position, and this was at once
answered by another, hoisted upon a Avindmill near the
Cosquino gate. Two Turks then advanced from the
trenches for the purpose of opening a parley, and were
met at the above-named gate by Martinigo and the
prior of St, Gilles. They handed in a letter containing
the conditions upon which the sultan would consent to
a capitulation. In consideration of the instant surrender
of the town, he was prepared to permit the Grand-
Master with his knights, and such of the citizens of all
ranks as might choose to leave the town, to depart with
their personal baggage, and all their household property.
Those who chose to remain Avere guaranteed in the
undisturbed exercise of their religion, and were to be
freed from tribute for five years ; the churches were to
be protected from profanation ; and all property, both
public and private, rescued from pillage. The letter
concluded with the most awful threats and denuncia
tions, if these terms were not at once accepted.
The council decided upon despatching an embassy to
the Turkish camp ; and nominated for this purpose
Anthony GroH^e, the standard-bearer of the Order, and
a Rhodian named Robert Perrucey. These ambassadors
H H 4

472 A HISTORY OF
at once proceeded to the tent of Achmet Pasha, who
on behalf of the Turks despatched into the city two
hostages of high rank, to guarantee the safe return of
the Rhodian envoys. On the following day Solyman
admitted them to an audience, but commenced by ignor
ing the contents of his letter, conceiving it to have been
beneath his dignity that he should have taken the initia
tive on the subject of capitulation. He however averred
that he was willing to adhere to the terms therein
specified, but that he required an immediate reply. A
truce for three days Avas entered into, and one of the
envoys was directed to return to Rhodes with the sultan's
offer, the other being, meanwhile, retained in the Turkish
camp. Whilst this parley was going forward, a re-action set
in amongst some of the more hot-headed of the youthful
Rhodians. A tumultuous band of these turbulent fire-
eaters presented themselves before the Grand-Master,
complaining that he Avas opening negotiations Avith the
enemy, by which the tOAvnspeople were to be sacrificed
to ensure the safety of the Order ; and that it was well
known how useless it was to enter into any treaty with
the Turks, who immediately upon the surrender of the
town, would, as they had previously done in the case of
Belgrade and other cities, at once repudiate the terms
of the contract. They desired, therefore, to maintain
the defence to the last moment, and urged upon the
Grand-Master that he should at once break off all
further parley. To this demand L'Isle Adam rephed,
that he was delighted to observe so martial a spirit still
reigning within their bosoms ; that their views coincided
precisely with those which he had always personally
maintained; and that, should the negotiations then

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 473
going forward not succeed, they might rest assured that
he would call upon them to redeem their pledge, and
assist him in protracting the defence of the town to the
latest possible point. The irony of this speech could
scarcely have passed unobserved ; since none knew
better than L'Isle Adam how little reliance was to be
placed upon the idle vapourings and the martial bragga
docio of these Rhodian heroes.
As he was still not entirely without hopes of a suc
cour from Europe, he determined upon protracting the
negotiations as far as possible. With this view he on
the following morning despatched a fresh embassy to
the Turkish camp, the real object of which was to gain
time, but the ostensible one to endeavour to persuade
Solyman to offer somewhat easier conditions. For this
purpose he forwarded a letter, which had been received
by Peter d'Aubusson from Bajazet, the grandfather of
Solyman, in which that prince invoked the malediction
of heaven upon any of his successors who should attempt
to disturb the Order of St, John in the peaceable pos
session of the island of Rhodes, Achmet Pasha, to
whom this letter was first shown, and who was extremely
anxious that the negotiation should be brought to a
successful termination, at once destroyed the document,
feeling sure that if it ever came under the eye of his
master, it would only stimulate his rage against the
fraternity, by recalling to his memory an incident in
the history of his forefathers which in no way re
dounded to the glory of his race.
At this juncture, and whilst the terms of the treaty
were being discussed, an unfortunate collision between
some of the members of the garrison and the Turks, in
which several of the latter lost their lives, brought the

474 A HISTORY OF
whole matter to a premature close; the truce was re
scinded, the batteries reopened, and everything was
placed upon its former warlike footing. Some prisoners
who had fallen into the hands of the Turks were muti
lated, by having their fingers, noses, and ears cut off,
and in that miserable plight were sent back into the
town with the message that such was the treatment the
garrison might now expect at the hands of the sultan,
L'Isle Adam was overjoyed at the failure of his negotia
tion. He had never entered into it warmly, and
nothing but a stern sense of necessity and duty had
induced him to give his consent to the attempt. Now
that that attempt had been made, and had failed, and
Avhen the enemy were pursuing their attack with even
greater vigour and animosity than ever, he felt that the
project which he had entertained, of burying himself and
his fraternity beneath the ashes of their city, would
speedily be accomplished.
Mindful of the boastings in which the Rhodian youth
had indulged, at a time Avhen their valour appeared no
more likely to be put to the test, he summoned them
all to the ramparts, and allotting to each the post which
he was to occupy, forbade any one to abandon it under
pain of instant death. In the inflexible pursuance of
this stern decree, the first who was discovered retiring
from the scene of danger where he had been stationed,
was seized, and by the direction of the Grand-Master,
instantly hanged, to the great dismay of his brethren,
who, now that their frothy enthusiasm had evaporated,
beheld themselves doomed to certain destruction in no
very pleasant frame of mind.
The recommencement of hostilities was followed up
by an assault upon the retrenchment of the Spanish

THE ICNIGHTS OF MALTA, 475
bastion, still maintained by the Knights, This took
place on the 17th of December, and although the
struggle was continued for nearly the whole day, the
Turks were once more worsted by the noble band of
heroes to whom they were opposed, and were compelled
to retire in discomfiture to their lines. On the follow
ing day, however, they were more successful, for the
assault being renewed, they found themselves eventually
left in undisputed possession of the last vestige of the
bastion. This loss completed the dismay of the inhabi
tants. Those who had but a fcAV days before been fore
most in urging war to the knife, noAv pressed upon the
Grand- Master the necessity of a speedy surrender.
Unable to control the panic of the multitude, and
resting sure that they would, if opposed, speedily se
cure for themselves what they now demanded of him, he
consented to re-open the negotiation, and fresh envoys
were despatched to Solyman, Avith carte blanche to sur
render the toAvn upon the best terms they could obtain.
Solyman received the ambassadors in his pavilion, in
all the splendour of his imperial majesty, surrounded
by the janissaries of his body-guard. Upon hearing the
errand which had brought them into his presence, the
sultan consented once again to offer the terms which he
had previously tendered, and these conditions Avere im
mediately accepted by the envoys on behalf of L'Isle
Adam, The principal stipulations were, that the
citizens should remain in perfect freedom in their per
sons and in their rehgion ; that the Knights should be
permitted to leave the island in their own galleys,
bearing with them all their personal property ; and that
such of the citizens as preferred to follow the fortunes
of the Order, rather than remain at Rhodes under the

476 A HISTORY OF
dominion of the Turks, should have free permission to
do so ; and that twelve clear days should be allowed for
the embarkation. The churches were to be guaranteed
from profanation, and their sacred relics were to remain
the property of the Order.
That the due execution of the treaty might be en
sured, the Turkish army Avas to be withdrawn from the
vicinity for several miles, and only a select body of
four thousand janissaries Avere to enter the gates, and
take possession in behalf of their imperial master.
In return for this clemency, so unusual in those days of
sanguinary warfare, the Knights were to yield up
peaceable possession, not only of the city, but of all its
dependent islands, and the castle of St. Peter on the
mainland. Twenty-five of the Knights of the Order,
including two grand-crosses, and the same number of
citizens, Avere to be given as hostages for the due execu
tion of this treaty ; and as soon as they had made their
appearance in the Turkish camp, the aga of the janis
saries, with the specified number of troops, entered the
town, and took formal possession of it on behalf of
the sultan.
Thus the island of Rhodes, after having remained for
a period of two hundred years in the possession of the
Knights of St. John, once more reverted to the power
of the Infidel, from whom it had been torn by Fulk de
Villaret. All the skill which engineering science had
developed upon its massive fortifications, all the beauties
Avhich the genius of art had lavished upon its buildings,
were now lost to the Order and to Christianity. That
lovely island, the garden of the East, so replete with
beauties both natural and artificial; that city whose
lofty ramparts had so long frowned Avith proud disdain

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 477
upon the utmost efforts of its Infidel foe, now no longer
owned the gentle sway of the friars of the Hospital ;
but still bearing the relics of its former grandeur,
and still displaying in its buildings the magnificence of
those who had raised it to Avhat it was, passed for ever
beneath the rule of the Moslem, whilst its former lords
were once again doomed to seek their fortune upon
the wide world.
Twice before, in narrating the history of the Order
of St. John, has it been necessary to pause upon a pic
ture very similar to this. The torrent of Christian en
thusiasm, pouring eastward in its impetuous onset, had
originally rescued the Holy Land from the desecration
of the unbeliever. At the utmost confines of that newly
acquired territory, Ave find the Knights of the Hospital
the most powerful bulwark of the infant kingdom. As
the enthusiasm of Europe died away, and the power of the
Infidel was gradually concentrated and aggrandised, the
pressure upon, the Christian establishments in Syria be
came irresistible. Step by step the Hospitallers were
driven backward, ever with their face to the foe, and
never yielding one inch of ground until it had been
watered with the blood of the noblest of their com
munity, Jerusalem, Margat, Acre, and Rhodes were so
many steps by which the overwhelming power of the
Infidel had driven them to retire westward. Every stage
in this progress had been dearly purchased ; every effort
which human ingenuity could devise, or human for
titude prompt, had been made to check this fatal retro
gression, but in vain. For 200 years the fraternity
had maintained this, their last bulwark in the East.
Once during that period they had successfully resisted
the whole might of the Turkish empire, and the defence

478 A HISTORY OF
of Rhodes had become a bye- word of admiration through
out Europe,
Now they had for a period of six months withstood
a force exceeding their own forty-fold. Ample time had,
through their indomitable courage, been given to the
nations of Europe to foil the ambition of Solyman, and to
rescue from the hands of the Moslem the fairest flower
of the Levant, but the opportunity had been rejected.
Internecine strife and petty jealousies had prevented
any interference on behalf of the besieged garrison. The
Turk had been suffered to wreak his will unrestrained
and uncontrolled, and the natural result followed, that
the banner of the false prophet was at length to be seen
waving over those battlements where the white cross of
St, John had, during so many years, hurled its proud
defiance, an object equally of hatred and of dread to the
corsair of the East,
To the communities of Europe the loss of Rhodes was
justly a subject of the deepest shame. Apathy and in
difference could be stretched to no further point than
that which they had been permitted to attain for the six
months during which this memorable struggle lasted ;
and its unfortunate issue must ever remain a deep blot
in the history of the sixteenth century. To the Knights
of Rhodes, however, the event bears with it no such
memory of disgrace. The gallantry which had so long
withstood such desperate odds was warmly recognised,
and enthusiastically hailed by admiring nations. As
the struggle progressed, and its ultimate issue became
more and more certain, men held their breath as they
gazed upon that touching scene of heroism and en
durance ; and when at length, driven from their homes,
feeble in number, and shattered in prospects, the rehcs

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA. 479
of that gallant band wandered westward in search of a
new haven, they were everyAvhere greeted with such
rapturous enthusiasm as well marked the sense which
Europe entertained of the efforts which they had made.
The feeling of the world was aptly expressed by
Charles V,, who upon hearing of the disastrous issue of
the siege, turned to his courtiers and exclaimed, " There
has been nothing so AA'^ell lost in the world as Rhodes,"

/APPENDIX

No. 1.

Chronological List of the Gkand-Mastees op the
Order of St. John, distinguishing the various
Nations,

1,

Raymond du Puy

. French .

1118-

-1160

2,

Auger de Balben

. French .

1160-

-1162

3,

Arnaud de Comps

. French .

. 1162-

-1168

4,

Gilbert d'Ascali .

, Engl, (doubtful

) 1168-

-1169

5,

Gastus

. doubtful .

. 1169

6,

Joubert

. doubtful .

. 1169-

-1179

7,

Koger des Moulins

. doubtful .

1179-

-1187

8,

Garnier de Napoli

. English .

. 1187

9,

Ermengard Daps

. doubtful .

. 1187-

-1192

10,

Godfrey de Duisson .

, French ,

1192-

-1194

11,

Alphonso of Portugal .

, Portuguese

1194-

-1195

12,

Geoffrey le Rat ,

, French ,

1195-

-1207

13,

Guerin de Montaque ,

, French ,

1207-

-1230

14,

Bertrand de Texi

, French ,

1230-

-1231

15,

Guerin

, doubtful .

1231-

-1236

16,

Bertrand de Comps

, French .

1236-

-1241

17,

Peter de Villebride

. doubtful •

1241-

-1244

18,

William de Chateauneuf

, French ,

1244-

-1259

19,

Hugh de Revel ,

. French .

1259-

-1278

20,

Nicholas Lorgue ,

, doubtful ,

1278-

-1289

21,

John de Villiers ,

. French ,

1289-

-1297

22,

Odon de Pius

. French .

1297-

-1300

VOL, I.

I I

485

! APPENDIX,

23.

William de Villaret

, French .

, 1300-

-1306

24.

Fulk de Villaret .

, French .

, 1306-

-1319

25.

Elyon de Villanova

. French .

, 1319-

-1346

26.

Deodato de Gozon

. French .

. 1346-

-1353

27.

Peter de Cornillan

. French .

. 1353-

-1355

28,

Roger de Pius ,

. French .

. 1355-

-1365

29.

Raymond de Berenger

. French .

. 1365-

-1374

30.

Robert de Julliac

. French .

. 1374-

-1376

3!,

Ferdinand d'Heredia

. Spanish .

. 1376-

-1396

32.

Philibert de Naillac

. French .

, 1396-

-1421

33.

Antoine Fluvian

. Spanish .

, 1421-

-1437

34.

John de Lastic ,

, French ,

. 1437-

-1454

35.

James de Milli ,

, French .

, 1454-

-1461

36.

Peter Raymond Zacosi

-a , Spanish ,

, 1461-

-1467

37.

John Baptiste d'Urslns

, Italian

, 1467-

-1476

38.

Peter d'Aubusson

, French ,

. 1476-

-1503

39.

Almeric Amboise

. French .

. 1503-

-1512

40.

Guy de Blanchefort

. French .

. 1512-

-1513

41.

Fabricius Carretto

. Italian

. 1513-

-1521

42.

Philip Villiers de L'Isle Adam French .

. 1521-

-1534

43.

Peter du Pont ,

. Italian

. 1534

-1535

44.

Didier de Saint Jaille

. French .

. 1535-

-1536

45.

John d'Omedes ,

. Spanish .

. 1536-

-1553

46.

Claude de la Sangle

. French .

. 1553-

-1557

47.

John de la Valette

. French .

. 1557-

-1568

48.

Peter de Monte ,

, Italian

. 1568-

-1572

49.

John L'Eveque de la Cassiere French .

. 1572-

-1581

50.

Hugh de Verdala

. French .

. 1581-

-1595

51.

Martin Garces

. Spanish .

. 1595-

-1601

52.

Alof de Vignacourt

. French .

. 1601-

-1622

53.

Louis Mendesde Vasco

ncellos Spanish .

. 1622-

-1625

54.

Antony de Paule

. French .

. 1625-

-1636

55.

John de Lascaris

. French .

. 1636-

-1657

56.

Martin de Redln .

. Spanish .

. 1657-

-1660

57.

Annet de Clermont

. French .

. 1660

58

Rafael Cottoner ,

. Spanish .

. 1660-

-1663

59

Nicholas Cottoner

. Spanish .

. 1663-

-1680

60

Gregory Caraffa ,

. Spanish .

. 1680-

-1690

APPENDIX,

483

61.
62.63.64. 65.
66.

Adrian de Vignacourt , , French ,
Raymond Peirelos , . Spanish .
Mark Antony Zondodari , Italian
Antony Manuel de Vilhena , Portuguese
Raymond Despuig . , Spanish ,
Emmanuel Pinto . . Portuguese

. 1690-
. 1697-
. 1720-
. 1722-
. 1736-
. 1741-

-1697-1720-1722-1736-1741-1773

67,

Francois Ximenes . . Spanish .

. 1773-

-1775

68,

Emmanuel de Rohan . . French .

. 1775-

-1797

69,

Ferdinand de Hompesch . German .

. 1797-

-1799

French Knights .
Spanish Knights .
Italian Knights .

. 38
. 13
, 5
Portuguese Knights .
, 3
English Knights .
German Knights .
Doubtful .
. 2
. 1
. 1
I I 2
484 APPENDIX, No, 2,
Genealogical Table oe the Kings op Jerusalem.
Eustace II.

(1) Godfrey of Bouillon, (2) Baldwin I.
first king of Jerusalem. Hugh, count of Ketel.

I I I I I
(3) Baldwin II. Manasses. Gerrase. Odierna. Matilda.
J 
Melisenda, married Fulk, count Adelaide. Odierna. Juveta.
of Anjou (4), who was crowned
king in her right.
(5) Baldwin m (6) Almeric.

(7) Baldwin IV. Sibilla, who married, first, Isabella, who married
William Longspre, by (10) Almeric (her
whom she had issue fourth husband), who
(8) Baldwin V. was crowned in her
Afterwards she married right.
(9) Guy, count of Lusig
nan, crowned king in her
right.

Maria,married(ll)John Adelaide married Almeric (died Sibilla. Melisenda.
of Brienne, who was Hugh, king of Cy- young).
crowned in her right. prus.

Violante, married the | 1
Emperor (12) Frede- (13) Henry. Isabella, married Henry of Antioch.
nc, crowned king in I I
her right. (u) Hugh H. (15) Hugh HI.
I " ~  '  ¦  I
(16) John. Bohemond (died young). (17) Henry, the last king of Jerusalem

APPENDIX. 485

No. 3.

Chronological Table op the Mussulman Rulers,
TRACED PROM MaHOMBT.
A.D. 632. Death of Mahomet.
634. Omar.
644. Osman.
656. Ali,
Division into the three Caliphates of Egypt, Damascus, and Cairo,
Caliphs of Egypt.
969, Morzz,
975. Azz Billah,
996, Hakem,
1021, Duher,
1036. Monstaur Billah, (The caliph who first authorised
the erection of a Hospital at Jerusalem,)
1092, Barkiarck,
1094. Mostali. (Capture of Jerusalem by the Crusaders,
1099.)
1101. Mansor.
1130. Haphed. Sultans of Egypt.
1145. Nourrheddin.
1149. Dhafer.
1155, Fayez,
1160. Adhed Sedinillah.
1171. Saladin. (Loss of Jerusalem.)
1193, Aziz,
1198, Mansour.
1200. Saphadin I.
1218, Kamel.
1238. Saphadin II.
1240. Saleh.
1249. Moudham. I I 3

486 APPENDIX.
Mamelouk Sultans.
A.D. 1250, Aschraf.
1254. Azzedin.
1257. Nourrhedin.
1259. Koutoug,
1260, Bibais,
1277, BerekiKan.
1279. Kelaon, Ottoman Empire.
1288, Osman (or Othman),
1325, Orkan.
1359. Amurath (or Mourad) I.
1389. Bajazet I.
1402, Conquest by Tamerlane and death of Bajazet,
1402. Solyman I.
1410. Musa,
1413, Mahomet I.
1421, Amurath II,
1452, Mahomet IL
1480, First siege of Rhodes.
1481, Bajazet IL (Zizim's flight to Rhodes.)
1512. Selim L
1520, Solyman IL (the Magnificent),
1522, Loss of Rhodes.
1565, Siege of Malta.
1566. Selim IL
1574, Amurath IIL
1595. Mahomet IIL
1603. Achmet I.
1617. Mustapha I.
1618, Osman IL
1622, Mustapha restored.
1623. Amurath IV.
1640. Ibrahim.
1649. Mahomet IV.
1687, Solyman IIL
1692, Achmet II,
1695. Mustapha IL

APPENDIX. 487

A.D. 1703. Achmet IIL
1730, Mahmoud,
1754, Osman IIL
1757, Mustapha IIL
1774, Achmet IV,
1789, Selim IIL

No, 4.
Original Donation op Godfrey of Bouillon to the
Hospital op St, John. (Ex Cod. papyrac. Biblioth.
Vatlcanae, N, 3136, page 19,)
Au nom de la salnte, quidessevrer ne se puet, Trinite, Je
Godoffroy par la grace de DIeu et de la reigne ffus assavoyr a
tous presens et avenir que come par la remission de mes pechies
Je eusse chargie mon cuer et mes espaules dou signe dou sauve-
vur crucifie pour nous ; Je parvlns au dernay au luog ou ssares-
terent les pies du tres aut Jhesu Crist, et come Je eusse vislte
le saint cepulcre dou Seignor et tous less saints luogs de saints
hopitlvees entendement de penitence a la fin Je parvins a lygllse
dou benaure hospital, fondez en honor de Dieu et de sa tres
benauree m^re et de Saint Johan precursor dou Seignor, et
voyant en ela dons de grace dou Saint Esperit qui no se porroyt
recomtier, lesquels sent departis en les povres foybles et malades
habundament et humblement vouz ¦ adyeu et de penitence a la
dite mayson de I'hospital et a tous les freres une malson fondee
sur monalem abryele mon boure en la froide montagne de tout
ce qui apeut deli et ses rentes et avoir et porceor a touts jorns
mays franchement, Cest don de ma donation fu fait en Ian
delincarnaolon noutre Seignor en Ian de la prise de Jerusalem
MQLXXXIII en la seysesme epacte en la primleyra Indiclon
pour la salu de marme, de mon pere, et de ma mere, et de tous
mes devantiers et de mes parens et de tous autres fiells et vis et
mors.

1 I 4

488

appendix.

No. 5.
List op the first Members op the Order op St.
John, Cotemporaries with its Founder, Gerard,
prom 1099 to 1135. (From Paolo Antonio Paoli.)
Lambert , . , , Supposed to have been a son of
Canon de Montaique, and to
have been martyred by the
Saracens,
Robert Fitz Richard, an English
man, Prior of the Order in Eng
land in 1100, and supposed to
be of the family of Lacy.
Master of the Hospital in Jeru
salem in 1112,
Mentioned in a charter of Atto,
Count d'Abuzzo.
Mentioned in a charter of Ponz,
Count of Tripoli, 1105.
Prior of Monte Pellegrino, 1105.
Superior of the Hospital establish
ment at Jaffa, 1126,
Prior of Messina, named in a char
ter of Roger, King of Sicily,
1137.
Prior of Aries in 1117.
Hospitaller of St. Gyles, men
tioned by Count Atto.

Robert di Riccardi
Roger de Pagan or Payen
Bojante Ruggiero
Gualtier
Bertrand .
Ridolfo Gubaldo

BerandBerald
Pietro Barcinonise
Bernard the Deacon
AscelinPietro d'AndusIa
Stephen Raymond
Poggio de Montlaur
Odo .
Culveto
Gerald

Mentioned In a charter dated 1117.

Prior of Toulouse at its foundation,
1120,

APPENDIX,

489

1

Durand

Bertrand , , ¦
Arnold de Someri
RobertPeter Malet
Pierre Raymond
Regnier de Tiberias
Pierre de Tiberias
William of Jaffa ,
Pietro Gallizlano
Gerard William of Jaffa
Pierre William the Chan
cellor
William de Saint Clement 1
Anno , . , J
Raymond du Puy or Poggio
AlfanJean Ture . ?¦
Gerard Jebert

Andrea the Priest
William Bertrand
Hildebrand Chaco
Gerard de Calumgum .
Martin Re .
Gerard the Subdeacon
William Almeric
RidolfoPonsio the Priest
Gerard — Clerico
Gerard Giobbe Barro .
ThomasGuarineOelardo

)

Constable of the Order, named in
a letter of Hugh, Seigneur of
Jaffa, 1125.
Named in a charter dated 1125.
1126.

Named in a letter of Hugh, Count
of Jaffa, 1126,

Named in a charter of Bernard,
Bishop of Aries, 1129,
First Master,
Named in a charter of Baldwin IL,
1129,
Superior of the Order in France,
1130,
Called also Josbert and Zebert,
named by William of Tyre,
Named in a charter of Garnier,
Seigneur of Cesarea, 1131,

Named in a donation of Baldwin,
Bishop of Beirat, 1133,

Named in a charter of Hugh,
Count of Jaffa, 1133,
Named in a letter of Gonzelin,
Count of Cesarea, 1134,

490 APPENDIX,

No, 6,

Bull op Pope Paschal IL, confirming the Establish
ment OF the Hospital of St, John, (Translated from
the original Latin,)
Paschal, bishop, and servant of such as are the servants of
God, to his venerable son Gerard, founder and Master of the
Hospital at Jerusalem, and to his lawful successors for ever
more. The requests of a devout desire ought to meet with a
corresponding fulfilment. Inasmuch, as of thy affection thou
hast requested, with regard to the Hospital which thou hast
founded in the city of Jerusalem, In proximity to the Church of
the blessed John the Baptist, that it should be supported by
the authority of the apostolic see, and fostered by the patronage
of the blessed apostle Peter : We, therefore, much pleased with
the pious earnestness of thy hospitality, do receive the petition
with our paternal favour, and do ordain and establish, by the
authority of this our present decree, that that house of God,
your Hospital, shall now be placed, and shall for ever remain,
under the protection of the apostolic see, and under that of the
blessed Peter, All things whatsoever, therefore, which by thy
persevering care and solicitude have been collected for the
benefit of the said Hospital, for the support and maintenance of
pilgrims, or for relieving the necessities of the poor, whether In
the churches of Jerusalem, or in those of parishes within the
limits of other cities ; and whatsoever things may have been
offered already by the faithful, or for the future may through
God's grace be so offered, or collected by other lawful means ;
and whatsoever things have been, or shall be granted to thee, or
to thy successors, or to the brethren who are occupied in the
care and support of pilgrims, by the venerable brethren the
bishops of the diocese of Jerusalem; we hereby decree shall be
retained by you in peace and undiminished. Moreover, as to
the tithes of your revenues, which ye collect everywhere at
your own charge, and by your own toil, we do hereby fix and
decree, that they shall be retained by your own Hospital, all

appendix, 491
opposition on the part of the bishops and their clergy notwith
standing. We also decree as valid all donations, which have
been made to your Hospital by pious princes, either of their
tribute moneys or other imposts. We ordain furthermore, that
at thy death no man shall be appointed in thy place, as chief
and master, by any underhand subtlety, or by violence ; but him
only who shall, by J;he inspiration of God, have been duly
elected by the professed brethren of the Institution, Further
more, all dignities or possessions which your Hospital at present
holds, either on this side of the water, to wit in Asia, or in
Europe, as also those which hereafter by God's bounty it may
obtain ; we confirm them to thee and to thy successors, who
shall be devoting themselves with a pious zeal to the cares of
hospitality, and through you to the said Hospital in perpetuity.
We further decree that it shall be unlawful for any man what
soever rashly to disturb your Hospital, or to carry off any of
its property, or if carried off to retain possession of it, or to
dimuiish ought from its revenues, or to harass it with auda
cious annoyances. But let all its property remain intact, for
the sole use and enjoyment of those for whose maintenance and
support it has been granted. As to the Hospitals or Poor
Houses in the Western provinces, at Burgum of St. -ffigidius,
Lisan Barum, HIspalum, Tarentum, and Messana, which are
distinguished by the title of Hospitals of Jerusalem, we decree
that they shall for ever remain, as they are this day, under the
subjection and disposal of thyself and thy successors. If,
therefore, at a future time, any person, whether ecclesiastical or
secular, knowing this paragraph of our constitution, shall
attempt to oppose its provisions, and if, after having received a
second or third warning, he shall not make a suitable satisfac
tion and restitution, let him be deprived of all bis dignities and
honours, and let him know that he stands exposed to the judg
ment of God, for the iniquity he has perpetrated ; and let him be
deprived of the Sacraments of the Body and Blood of Christ,
and of the benefits of the redemption of Our Lord, and at the
last judgment let him meet with the severest veDgeance. But
to all who deal justly and rightly with the same, on them be the
peace of our Lord Jesus Christ, so that not only here below

492 appendix,
they may receive the rewards of a good action, but also before
the Judge of all mankind, they may enjoy the blessing of peace
eternal. I PASCHAL, Bishop of the Catholic Church.
I RICHARD, Bishop of Alboe, have signed.
I CALIXTUS, Bishop of the Catholic Church.
I LANDULPHUS, Bishop of Beneventum,
have read and signed.
Given at Beneventum, by the hand of John, Cardinal of the
Roman Church, and Librarian, on the 15 th day of the calends
of March, in the 6th indiction of the incarnation of our Lord,
in the year 1113, and in the 13th year of the Pontificate of our
Lord Pope Paschal II.

No. 7.
Bull of Pope Boniface VIIL, in the tear 1300, re
capitulating THE original RuLE OP RAYMOND DU
Puy, lost at the Capture op Acre. (Translated
from the original Latin.)
Boniface, bishop, and servant of such as are servants of God,
to his beloved sons the Master and brethren of the Hospital of
St, John of Jerusalem, greeting, and apostolical benediction :
Whereas, from the throne of apostolic eminence, whereon, by
the will of the divine grace we have been placed, we are con
stantly reminded how that ye have constantly displayed a whole
some adherence to the divine commands (spurning all the allure
ments of this world, which, although attractive, are but an
illusion), fearing not to expose both your persona and your
possessions to jeopardy in their fulfilment; and whereas we
have carefully called to mind how that ye have ever hitherto
displayed the most devoted affection, and the most reverential
zeal towards our person, and towards your mother the Church
of Rome, and continue so to do at the present time ; we have
thought it fit, and do consider it reasonable that, bestowing

appendix, 493
upon you and your Hospital our munificent grace, we should
(so far as with God's permission we are enabled), admit your
petitions to our favourable consideration. And whereas your
prayer, when laid before us, was to the effect that some time
since, at the capture of the city of Acre, ye lost the apostolic
letter containing the provisions of your "Rule," with other
things of no small value, for which reason ye have humbly
petitioned of us, that whereas ye no longer possess the letter of
the brother Raymond, at that time the Master of your Hospital,
who established the aforesaid " Rule," signed and sealed with
his leaden seal, in which letter the said " Rule " was distinctly
laid down, as ye assert ; we might be graciously pleased to grant
to you under a bull from us, a renewal of this " Rule," as a
guarantee of a greater precaution :
We, therefore, being ever solicitous for the prosperity and
tranquillity, as well of yourself as of your Hospital, and being
favourably disposed towards the granting of your pious requests,
have caused the aforesaid " Rule," as it is understood to have
been contained in the letter of the said brother Raymond, to be
registered in the following terms, a few omissions and alterations
of words having been made in it by our order. We, never
theless, do confirm and renew the same " Rule," by our special
grace, being well acquainted with it. The tenor of the letter
was as follows: —
In the name of the Lord, Amen, I, Raymond, the servant
of Christ's poor, and Master of the Hospital of Jerusalem, by
the advice of the General Chapter of both clerical and lay
brethren, have established the following precepts and statutes in
the house of the Hospital of Jerusalem, In the first place, I
desire that all those brethren who here dedicate themselves to
the service of the poor, shall, by God's assistance, maintain in
violate the three promises which they have made to him, namely,
chastity ; obedience, which is to be understood to include what
ever may be commanded by the Master ; and to live without
any property of their own ; because the fulfilment of these
three vows will be required of them by God at the last judg
ment. And let them not seek for, or claim as due to them,
more than bread and water and raiment, which things are

494 APPENDIX,
promised to them ; and let their raiment be humble, because
our masters, the poor, whose servants we profess to be, appear
scantily and meanly clad, and it is not right that the servant
should be proudly arrayed whilst his master is humble.
Furthermore, It is ordained that their behaviour in Church
shall be decorous, and their conversation such as befits their
calling ; let the clergy perforin the service of the altar in white
garments, and let each presbyter have a deacon, or a sub-deacon,
to attend upon him, and when occasion demands it, let some
other priest exercise this oflfice ; and let a light be for ever
burning in the Church both by day and by night. And for the
visitation of the sick, let a presbyter attend, dressed in white
robes, bearing with reverence the Body of our Lord ; and let
him be preceded by a deacon, or a sub-deacon, or at least by an
acolyte, bearing a lantern with a lighted candle, and a sponge
filled with holy water. Furthermore, when the brethren appear
in the cities or fortresses, let them not go alone, but two or three
together ; nor shall they select by whom they are to be accom
panied, but shall go with whomsoever the Master shall direct.
Also, when they have arrived at their destination let them remain
together. In their gait, in their dress, and in all their deport
ment, let them do nothing which may give offence in the eyes of
any one, but only that which befits their sacred calling. More
over, whenever they may be in a house, or in church, or wherever
else women may be present, let them mutually guard over one
another's chastity. Nor let women wash either their hands or
feet, or make their beds, and so may the God that dwelleth on
high watch over them in that matter. Amen.
And let pious persons, both clerical and lay, be sent forth to
seek alms for the holy poor. And when they shall require
hospitality let them proceed to the church, or to the house of
some person of good repute, and let them ask for food of that
person for the sake of charity, and let them buy nothing else.
And if in truth they find no one who will assist them, let them
purchase by measure one meal only, by which to support life.
And out of the alms which they may collect, let them secure
neither lands nor pledges for themselves, but let them deliver the
amount over to their Master, with a written account, and let

APPENDIX, 495
the Master transmit it with the paper to the Hospital, for the
use of the poor. And of all their donations, let the Master
take a third part of the bread, wine, and other nutriment, and
should there be a superfluity, let him add what remains to the
alms, and let him send it under his own hand to Jerusalem, for
the use of the poor.
And let none go forth from any of their convents to collect
alms, save only those whom the chapter and Master of the church
may have sent ; and let those brethren who have gone forth to
make these collections be received into whatever convent they
may arrive at ; and let them partake of the same food as the
brethren may have divided amongst themselves ; and let them
not give any further trouble there. Let them carry a light with
them; and into whatever house they may have been received
with hospitality, let them cause the light to burn before them.
Furthermore, we forbid our brethren from wearing any such
garment as may be unbefitting our religion; and above all, we
forbid them to use the skins of wild beasts ; and let them eat but
twice in the day, and on every fourth day of the week, and on
Saturdays, and from Septuagesima until Easter, let them eat no
meat, excepting only those who are infirm and feeble ; and let
them never appear without clothing, but dressed in robes of wool
or linen, or in other similar habiliments. But, if any of the
brethren shall have fallen by the force of his evil passions into
any of the sins of the fiock, which may God forbid ; if he have
sinned in secret, let him repent in secret ; and let him impose
upon himself a suitable penance : if, however, his sin shall have
been discovered publicly, and beyond contradiction, let him in
the same place where he may have committed the sin, on the
Sabbath day, after mass, when the congregation shall have left
the church, be stripped in the sight of all, and let him be scourged
and beaten most severely with thongs, or rods, by his superior,
or by such other brethren as the superior shall depute to perform
this duty ; and then let him be expelled from our Institution,
Afterwards, however, if God shall have enlightened his heart,
and he shall return to the Hospital, and shall confess himself to
have been a guilty sinner, and a transgressor of the laws of God,
and shall promise amendment, let him be again received, and a

496 APPENDIX.
suitable penance be imposed upon him ; and for a whole year
let him be considered as on his probation, and during this period
let the brethren observe his conduct, and afterwards let them
act as seems best to them in the matter. And if any brother
have a dispute with another brother, and the superior of the
house shall have noticed the disturbance, let this be his penance:
let him fast for seven days ; the fourth and the sixth, on bread
and water ; eating upon the ground without a table or a napkin:
and if he shall have struck a blow, then for forty days ; and if
any brother shall absent himself from the convent, or the
superior under whose control he hath been placed, wilfully and
without the permission of the superior, and shall afterwards
return, let him eat his meals on the ground for forty days, fast
ing on every fourth and sixth day on bread and water, and let
him reinain in the position of an alien for so long a time as he
shall have absented himself, unless that time shall have been so
prolonged that it shall seem fitting to the chapter to remit a
portion. Moreover, at table, let each one eat his bread in silence,
as the apostle directs ; and let him not drink after the " Com-
pletorium," and let all the brethren keep silence in their
beds. But if any brother, having misconducted himself, shall have
been corrected and admonished twice or three times by the Master,
or by any other brother, and by the'instlgation of Satan shall
have refused to amend his ways, and to obey, let him be sent to
us on foot, and bearing with him a paper, containing his crime ;
yet let a fixed allowance be made to him, that he may be enabled
to come to us, and we will correct him. And let no one strike
those entrusted to them as servants, for any fault whatever: but
let the superior of the convent, and of the brethren, inflict
punishment in the presence of all ; yet let justice always be
supported within the convent. And if any brother shall have
made a disposition of his property after his death, and shall have
concealed it from his superior, and it shall afterwards have been
found upon him, let the money be tied round his neck, and let
him be severely beaten by one of the brothers in the presence
of the rest, and let him do penance for forty days, fasting every
fourth and sixth day on bread and water.

APPENDIX, 497
Moreover, since it is necessary to lay down a statute for
you all, we ordain that for each of the brethren as shall go the
way of all flesh, in whatever convent he may die, thirty masses
shall be sung for his soul. At the first mass, let each of the
brethren who is present offer a candle and a piece of money ;
which contribution, whatever may be its amount, shall be spent
on the poor. And the presbyter who shall have sung the
masses, if he does not belong to the convent, shall be maintained
therein on those days, and his duty being finished, the superior
himself shall entertain him ; and let all the clothing of the
deceased brother be given to the poor. But the brothers
who are priests, and who shall sing these masses, let them pour
forth a prayer to our Lord Jesus Christ on behalf of his soul,
and let each of the priests sing a psalm, and each of the laity
repeat 150 paternosters.
And with respect to all other crimes, and affairs, and com
plaints, let them be adjudged upon in general chapter, and let
a just sentence be pronounced. And all these precepts we
enjoin and impose upon you, in virtue of our authority, on
behalf of Almighty God, the blessed Mary, the blessed John,
and the poor ; that they be observed strictly and zealously in all
points. And in the convents where the Master and chapter
have established a Hospital, when a sick person shall make ap
plication, let him be received thus : first, after having confessed
his sins to the presbyter, let him partake of the holy sacrament ;
and afterwards let him be carried to his bed, and there, as
though he were the Master, let him be charitably entertained
every day with food before any of the brethren are supplied,
and that of the best the house can afford. And on each Sabbath
day, let the Epistle and Gospel be sung in the Hospital, and
let holy water be sprinkled around In procession. Futhermore,
if any brother, having the superintendence of a convent in any
foreign land, shall appeal to any secular person, rebelling against
our authority, and shall give him the money appropriated to the
poor, in order that, by his power, he may establish the authority
of the said brother against the Master, let him be expelled from
the txeneral society of the brethren. And if two or more
brethren shall be dwelling together, and if one of them shall
VOL, I. K K

498 APPENDIX.
have misconducted himself by an evil course of life, the other
brothers are not to denounce him, either to the public or to the
prior, but first let them chastise him by themselves, and if he
will not permit himself to be chastised, let them call in the
assistance of two or three others and chastise him. And if he
shall amend his ways they should rejoice thereat ; but if, on the
other hand, he shall remain impenitent, then, detailing his
crimes in a letter, they shall forward it to the Master ; and
whatever he and the chapter may decree, let that be done to
the offender ; and let no brother accuse another brother unless
he is well able to prove the charge, for if he does so he is no
true brother.
Furthermore, all the brethren of every convent, who shall now,
or have heretofore offered themselves to God, and to the sacred
Hospital of Jerusalem, shall bear upon their breasts, on their
mantles and on their robes, crosses, to the honour of God and of
bis sacred cross ; to the end that God may protect us by that
symbol of faith, works, and obedience, and shield us from the
power of the devil, both in this world and in the world to come,
in soul and in body, together with all our Christian benefactors.
— Amen, Therefore, let no man whatsoever be permitted to in
fringe this charter, signed, confirmed, and renewed by us, or to
oppose himself audaciously to it. If, however, any one shall
presume to act thus, let him know that he renders himself liable
to the anger of Almighty God and of his blessed apostles Peter
and Paul, — Given at the Lateran, on the 7th day of the ides
of April, in the sixth year of our Pontificate,

No, 8.
Bull of Pope Alexander IV., dated in 1259, decree
ing A DISTINCTIVE DrESS FOR THE KnIGHTS OF JUSTICE.
(Translated from the original Latin.)
Alexander IV,, Pope, to our beloved sons, the Master and
brethren of the Hospital of St, John of Jerusalem, greeting.

appendix. 499
and apostolical benediction. Whereas, Almighty God hath
built up your Order upon the foundation of obedience, as an
immovable pillar in his Church, for the defence of the Holy
Land, of which ye are the renowned and stalwart champions,
and the chosen protectors, and for the defence of which ye have
girt yourselves with the glorious armour of the cross of salva
tion, to fight the battles of the Lord against the blasphemers of
His name ; and whereas, as ye are the elect people of God, a
princely race, and earnest body of righteous men, the council
and congregation of the King of mighty kings, In whose hands
verily are two equal swords and burning lights, to execute ven
geance on the nations, and to protect the city of the Lord ; we
intend, therefore, to strengthen with suitable gifts, and to en
courage with worthy favours, your Order, and yourselves also,
who are the soldiers of Christ, in whom the Lord hath aroused,
in those regions, the spirit of the brave Maccabees, and of the
other warriors of old of the same class ; and to concede to you
such things as are known to redound to the development of
your Order, and the protection of the Holy Land.
Since it has come to our knowledge that, amongst the bre
thren of your Order, both Knights and others, there is no dis
tinction or diversity of dress, contrary to the usual custom in
most other similar institutions ; on which account It comes to
pass, that the love of many brethren of noble birth, who,
casting aside the allurements of the world, under the garb of
your Order, have chosen to devote themselves to the defence of
the Holy Land, grows cold ; we, therefore, being earnestly
desirous that your Order may still continue, by God's help,
to be enriched with fresh donations, and may grow and increase
in the votive offerings which It shall receive, do hereby grant
to you, by the authority of these letters, permission to decree
unanimously, and hereafter to maintain inviolate, the regulation,
that the Knights, brethren of your Order, shall wear black
mantles, that they may be distinguished from the other brethren ;
but in campaigns, and in battle, they shall wear surcoats and
other military decorations of a red colour, on which there shall
be a cross of white colour, sewn on in accordance with that on
your standard ; in order that by the uniformity of signs, the
K K 2

500 APPENDIX.
unanimity of your spirits may be clearly apparent, and that
thus, in consequence, the safety of your persons may be Insured.
Therefore, let it be lawful for no man to infringe upon this
statute of our concession. For if any one shall presume upon
such an attempt, let him know that he will fall under the indig
nation of Almighty God, and of his blessed apostles Peter and
Paul. — Given at Anagnia, on the third day of the ides of
August, in the fifth year of our Pontificate.

No. 9.
Letter of the Grand-Preceptor op the Temple at
. Jerusalem to Henry IL, king of England, concern
ing the Loss op Jerusalem. (From Roger Hovenden.
Translated from the original Latin.)
To the most well-beloved Lord Henry, by the grace of God
the illustrious king of the English, duke of Normandy and
Guienne, and count of Anjou ; the brother Terric, formerly the
grand-preceptor of the house of the Temple at Jerusalem,
greeting, through him that sendeth health to kings.
Know that Jerusalem, with the citadel of David, has been
given up to Saladin. The Syrians, however, have the charge of
the Holy Sepulchre, until the fourth day after the feast of St.
Michael, and Saladin himself hath permitted ten of the brethren
of the Hospital to remain in the house of the Hospital for one
year, to take charge of the sick. The brothers of the Hospital
have in truth, as yet, bravely resisted the Saracens, and have
already captured two convoys from them, in the latter of which
captures, they have valiantly seized upon all the arms and stores
and food, which had been in the castle of Faber, which the
Saracens have destroyed. As yet Saladin is still being opposed
at Gracchus (Crac), near Mount Royal ; at Mount Royal itself,
at Saphet of the Temple, Gracchus of the Hospital, Margat,
Castellum Blancum, and in the provinces of Tripoli and Antioch.

APPENDIX. 50 1
Jerusalem, however, having been taken, Saladin has removed
the Cross from the Temple of our Lord, and has had it dragged
about the streets for two days, and publicly defiled. Then he
caused the Temple of the Lord to be washed with rose water,
within and without, above and below, and their laws to be pro
claimed at its four quarters, with great acclamation. From the
feast of St. Martin until that of the circumcision of our Lord,
he has besieged Tyre ; hurling stones Into it incessantly, by day
and by night, from thirteen engines. On the vigil of St,
Sylvester, the marquis Conrad distributed Knights and foot
soldiers around the walls of the city, and having armed seventeen
galleys, and ten smaller vessels, he attacked the galleys of Sala
din, with the assistance of the house of the Hospital, and the
brethren of the Temple, and overcoming them captured eleven
of them, and took the great Admiral of Alexandria, and eight
other admirals, a multitude of the Saracens having been slain.
The remainder of the galleys of Saladin, escaping out of the
hands of the Christians, fled to the army of Saladin, and being
driven ashore by his command, he caused them to be set on fire
and reduced to ashes. Overcome with grief, he had his horse's
ears and tail cut off, and then rode him through the whole army,
in the sight of everybody, — Farewell,

No, 10,
Bull op Pope Alexander IIL, dated in 1179, re
establishing Peace between the rival Houses op
the Temple and Hospital, (Ex Rymer, tom, i. page 61,
ad ann. 1182, lib, ii, p. 149, Translated from the original
Latin,)
Alexander, bishop and servant of such as are the servants of
God ; to his beloved sons, the master and brethren of the Order
of the Temple, greeting, and apostolical benediction.
The more your Order, and that of the brethren of the Hos-..
E K 3

502 APPENDIX,
pital of Jerusalem, are considered to be pleasing to God, and to
man, and the more necessary and useful it is proved to be to the
kingdom of Palestine, the more doth it become us to entertain
feelings of delight and joy at the unity which exists between
yourselves and them ; and to labour with all diligence that the
bond of love may be preserved between you : induced, therefore,
by this reason, we not only look with thankfulness upon the
peace and concord which ye have established with their consent,
with our beloved sons the Master and brethren of the Hospital,
with respect to all the disputes which heretofore had been
agitated between your house and theirs, as well concerning
lands and possessions, as about money and divers other matters ;
but also, ratifying the same, we do confirm it with our apostolic
authority, and do decree that it shall remain for evermore firm
and unimpaired ; and we have therefore thought fit to insert the
terms of that peace verbatim in this letter.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost, amen. Let it be made known to all, as well to those
that are yet for to come, as to those now i^resent, that by the
will of Almighty God, and by the directions and admonition
of our Lord Pope Alexander, whom alone we are bound to obey,
next to our Lord himself: I, brother Odo of St Amand,
humble Master of the Order of the Temple ; and I, Roger de
Malins, Master of the house of the Hospital of Jerusalem, by the
advice and decision of our chapters, do establish a firm peace,
and a happy concord, with regard to all the disputes which had
heretofore arisen between the house of the Temple and that of
the Hospital, as well about lands and possessions, as about money
and divers other matters ; all subjects of quarrel having been so
equitably settled on either side, that none of them can, for the
future, be ever revived or repeated.
We do decree and ordain that all the brethren of the
Temple and Hospital shall preserve, hold, and cherish the peace
and concord, the termination of all their disputes, which is con
ducive to reciprocal brotherly affection; since hereafter, forever-
more, all the goods and possessions which either house is recoo'-
nised as holding this day, as well beyond, as on this side of the
sea, will remain its own in safety, peace and quiet. If, however.

APPENDIX. 503
any quarrel hereafter shall arise amongst us or our successors,
or amongst our brethren, either on this side of the sea or on the
other, we do enjoin that it be peaceably terminated by the
brethren of both houses, in accordance with the decree of our
Lord the Pope, in the following manner : Let the preceptors of
those houses or provinces. In which the dispute shall have arisen,
in conjunction with certain discreet brothers, study to terminate
that quarrel, and to preserve peace amongst themselves, without
fraud, and as far as possible without giving cause for vexation
to the opposing party.
If, however, the brethren shall have been unable, by them
selves, to put an end to that dispute, let them summon to their
assistance certain of their mutual friends, by whose counsel and
mediation the affair may be amicably terminated in the following
manner, namely, that on whichever side the majority of brothers
or of friends shall have decided, the dispute shall be settled in
that manner so that an undisturbed peace and firm affection may
be established for ever amongst the brethren.
If, however, they shall be unable to arrive at a peaceful con
clusion in this manner, let them refer the dispute to us in writing,
and we will terminate it, with God's permission, so that the
brethren may retain peace and benevolence towards each other.
If, however, any brother, who may be absent, shall rebel
against this treaty, and from the preservation of peace and
harmony, be it known to him that he is acting against the
decrees of his Master, and the constitution of the chapter of
Jerusalem, and he shall in nowise be able to expiate his offence
on this head, until he shall have presented himself before his
Master, and the chapter of Jerusalem,
Moreover, we have thought fit to add to the foregoing, that
the brethren of each house shall everywhere love and honour
each other, and study after the welfare of one another, with
mutual affection, and brotherly unanimity, so that, though be
longing by profession to separate houses, they may appear to be
one through affection.
We decree, therefore, that it shall not be lawful for any man
whatsoever to infringe upon this statute, which we ourselves
have confirmed, nor to oppose it with audacious daring,
K K 4

504 APPENDIX.

If however, there be anyone who shall attempt such a pro-
A- The it known to him that he will fall under the indigna-
r^ "^Almighty God, and of the blessed apostles Peter and
Paul° Given and signed on the fourth day of the nones of August.

No. 11.
Letter prom Pope Gregory IX, to the Emperob
Frederic, remonstrating with him on his Conduct
TOWARDS THE MILITARY OrDERS : DATED IN 1230.
(Translated from the original Latin.)
Pope Gregory IX,, unto our beloved son Frederic,
emperor of the Romans, always augustus, greeting and apo
stolic benediction. If thy real desire is, as it should be, that
the affairs of the Holy Land b^not set in confusion, but rather
that they may be regulated, it is right that thou shouldest
refrain from molesting the Hospitallers and Templars, by whom
that land has hitherto been governed in the midst of many dlflSi-
culties, and without whom it is believed that it could not be
governed at all ; and that thou shouldest support them with
thy beneficent favour, thus advancing thine own interests,
since thou wilt be purchasing for thygelf an incomparable reward
from God, and a good reputation amongst men. Even though
we were to pass over in silence those keen reproaches which are
made to us, that the possession of those things which were
restored to them by us appears to have had but a momentary
duration, yet can we no longer pass over their serious and bitter
complaint in which they lament that they are being robbed by
Others, whilst they neither wished nor intended to deviate from
what was right. Wherefore it is not doubtful, that from thence
grave losses may impend over the Holy Land, since, whilst
labourmg under poverty, they no longer possess the means of
defendmg the land according to their wont. Wherefore, that
thou mayest prudently consult the interests of thine own con-

APPENDIX, 505
science, as also both our own and thy reputation, we ask, advise,
and exhort in the Lord, your imperial highness, that, choosing
rather to be bound by the virtue of charity, to which all other
virtues yield in importance, than to be branded by outraged
justice, thou shouldest make restitution to both Hospitallers and
Templars of all those things which have been taken away, so
that thou mayest avoid the Divine wrath, and that we may
justly commend thy clemency ; whereas otherwise, thou wilt
seem to be exposing our forbearance to various detractions. But
to the end that we may the more fully express our desire to thee
on this subject, we have put our words into the mouth of our be
loved son, the abbot of Casemar ; to the which we crave that
thou shouldest bestow an unhesitating credence. Given at the
Lateran, on the fourth day of the kalends of March, in the
fourth year of our pontificate.

No, 12,
Letter of Pope Gregory IX., dated in 1238, com
plaining OF THE EVIL PRACTICES OF THE MEMBERS OP
the Order op St. John,
We grieve, and record with sorrow, that as we are given to
understand, you live in a disorderly manner, retaining within
your houses prostitutes, with whom you form positive con
nections, and that you constitute yourselves defenders of those
who assume your habit, though they wrongfully retain posses
sion of their property, provided they pay you a tribute four
times a year ; and that you receive thieves, and those who way
lay pilgrims, within your houses and castles : That you have
supplied Vataces, the enemy of God and the Church, with horses
and arms,having received lands and houses from him in exchange,
not ceasing to render him aid and countenance against the
Latins : That you have reduced your accustomed charities to
the poor: That you have changed the last will and testament of

506 APPENDIX,
those who have died In your Hospitals, and not without grave
suspicion of falsifications ; and you do not permit the sick to be
confessed by any other priests than by the chaplains of your
Order, except by special licence from yourselves ; and that you
have committed several other enormities, which have offended
God, and created great scandal amongst the people. Several of
your brethren are also very strongly suspected of heresy, from
which it is not unreasonably feared, but from this small com
mencement of evil, many others may be corrupted, and that this
pest may become spread far and wide. Therefore, we direct
that within three months from the receipt of this letter, reform
ing your lives to a better course, you shall promptly correct, and
carefully amend the things complained of above, and other
matters which require to be improved in your Hospital, Other
wise we shall grant authority to our venerable son, the arch
bishop of Tyre, that at the expiration of that time, unless a
proper reform shall have been established in these matters, he
should proceed in person to the spot, and having God only before
his eyes, after due inquiry touching the above and other matters,
that he shall correct and reform them, as well in the head as in
the members, which correction and reform he will in his office
know how to direct. Given at the Lateran, on the third day of
the ides of March, in the eleventh year of our pontificate.

No, 13.
Letter of Peter D'Aubusson to the Emperor of
Germany, containing a Narrative of the First
Siege op Rhodes, (Translated from the original Latin,)
Most invincible and serene prince ; it appears to us in no way
incongruous that we should describe to your imperial majesty
the incidents which have occurred in the siege of the town of
Rhodes ; by the Turks in its attack, and by ourselves in its de
fence ; now that the day of battle has had a prosperous ending

APPENDIX, 507
to the honour of the Christian name ; and we do not doubt but
that your imperial majesty will derive no little pleasure from
our victory. The Turks having encamped around the city,
sought diligently for points of attack ; they then endeavoured to
shake and destroy the ramparts on all sides with their cannon,
and soon showed plainly what their intentions were ; and for
that purpose surrounded the city with guns and mortars, and
with them overthrew nine of its towers and a bastion ; and struck
and destroyed the magisterial palace. It appeared, however,
most convenient for them to attack and press the city upon three
sides principally : the attack of the tower on the mole of St,
Nicholas appearing the most advantageous for concluding the
affair ; by means of which they deemed that the city would the
most readily fall into their power. This tower is a citadel, at
the extremity of the mole, which juts out into the sea in a
northerly direction as far as the harbour extends ; and is visible to
approaching mariners, who may either keep close to it, or easily
avoid it. On the westward is situated the chapel of St. Anthony,
at a distance of barely two hundred paces, with the sea between.
The advantages of the place having been therefore perceived,
the Turkish army strove by every means in their power to get
it into their possession. They brought three huge brass
bombards to batter down the tower, whose size and power were
incredibly great, and which threw balls of stone of nine palms,
and they placed them in the chapel of St, Anthony. Wonder
ful to relate, and most calamitous to behold, this renowned fort,
which appeared of such surpassing strength, after having been
battered by three hundred stone balls, had the greater part of its
extent destroyed, overthrown, and ruined. The enemy, who
beheld the ruins with exultation, filled the air with their shouts,
which vain rejoicing was, however, speedily converted into sor
row. For we being anxious for the safety of the tower, beholding
its great and fearful ruin, strove to prop up the remainder of the
wall, and since such a course appeared the most judicious, after
so complete a downfall, we decided upon protecting not the
tower only, but also the mole of St. Nicholas itself. With the
most vigilant care and numberless inventions, a thousand
labourers worked day and night without intermission ; who dug

508 APPENDIX.
a deep ditch, and constructed a bulwark with timber on the top
of the mole, around the tower, and in the midst of its foundations,
and completed an impregnable redoubt at a great cost. There
we placed a guard of our bravest warriors within the ruins of the
mole, and supplied them with stores and ammunition. At the
end also, and foot of the same, we placed other garrisons, both
at the eastern and western extremities ; because at those points
the ramparts ended, and the sea is fordable, so that it was
necessary to watch and defend them lest the Turks should pass
there and attack us in the rear. And on the walls of the tower
we placed bombards, which should sweep the spot during an
attack. Fireworks were also prepared to attack the fleet. Twice
did the Turks storm the tower, and the new work on its ruins :
the first time, when they thought it easy to capture with only
moderate force, before daylight at early dawn ; when they at
tacked the place in triremes prepared for the purpose, and
fought vigorously. But our men, who were intent upon the
defence of the place, were constantly on the watch. So the
enemy was driven back discomfited. And in that battle nearly
700 Turks were killed, as we learnt from the deserters. After
the lapse of a few days, however, enraged at their former repulse,
they again attacked the tower with a powerful marine, and with
ingenious skill; shaking and destroying our repairs and new
bulwarks with their heavy artillery, and some were completely
destroyed. We, however, promptly repaired whatever they
overthrew. To carry out the attack, they then got ready
triremes well supplied with munitions, and ingeniously prepared
for the fight, and certain other heavy vessels (called commonly
" parendarias"), in which were heavy guns and stones; that
they might establish themselves upon the mole and tower, which
they thought they were secure of, and from that point annoy
and breach and capture the city itself. They also prepared cer
tain flat-bottomed boats, from which some of the boldest among
them reached the mole, and constructed a bridge with the most
wonderful skill; which was to cross from the church of St.
Anthony to the mole at the foot of the tower. But we suspect
ing what would occur, after the first attack, had laboured with
all our strength and ingenuity ; added to our munitions, in-

APPENDIX. 509
•
creased our fortifications, and did not spare the most serious
expense ; for we judged that the safety of the city depended on
that spot. In the middle, therefore, of the night, the Turks on
the thirteenth of the kalends of July, burning with a fiercer
ardour than ever, approached the tower with the utmost silence,
and attacked it on all sides with the greatest impetuosity; but
our ears were, however, pricked up, and we were not asleep.
But when we discovered that the foe were arrived, our machines
commenced to hurl their stones, our soldiers girded on their
swords, and missiles of every description being hurled from the
tower and mole, overthrew and repulsed the enemy ; the battle
was carried on with the utmost vehemence from midnight until
ten o'clock. Numberless Turks, who had reached the mole from
the boats and triremes, were killed. The floating bridge, laden
with Turks, was broken by the missiles from our machines, and
those who were on it were thrown Into the sea. Four of the
triremes, and those boats which were laden with guns and stores,
were destroyed by the stones hurled upon them, and were sunk.
The fleet also was set on fire, and forced to retire ; and thus the
Turks departed, beaten and defeated. Many of their leading
commanders fell in this battle, whose loss was deeply mourned
for by the army. Deserters, who joined us after the battle, told
us that the Turks had received a severe check, and that nearly
2,500 had been slain. But when the Turks lost all hopes of
capturing the tower, they turned all their energies, their in
genuity, and their strength, on an attack of the town itself, and
although the whole city was so shaken and breached by their
artillery that scarcely the form of the original city remained,
still their principal attack was directed against that part of the
walls which encloses the Jews' quarter, and looks towards the
east; and against that part which leads to the post of Italy,
For the purpose, therefore, of destroying and breaching those
walls, they brought eight gigantic and most enormous bombards,
hurling stones of nine palms in circumference, which played
upon the walls without ceasing night and day- Nor did the
bombards and mortars placed around the city cease from hurl
ing similar stones, the fall of which added greatly to the
general terror and destruction. We therefore placed the

510 APPENDIX.
aged, the infirm, and the women in caves, and other under
ground spots, to dwell, which caused but few casualties to
occur from that infliction. They also prepared another descrip
tion of annoyance, by using fire-balls and lighted arrows, which
they hurled from their balistse and catapults, which set fire to
our buildings. We, however, careful for the safety of our city,
selected men, skilled in the art, who, ever on the watch, put out
the fires wherever the flaming missiles fell. By these precau
tions the Rhodians were preserved from many mishaps. The
Infidels also attempted to approach the city underground, and
excavated winding difches, which they partly covered with
timber and earth, that they might reach the ditches of the city
under cover ; and they built up batteries in many places, from
which they kept up an unceasing fire, with colubrine and ser
pentine guns, and harassed and wearied our men, and also
thought it would be an advantage to fill up that portion of the
ditch which Is adjacent to the wall of the spur. They continued
without ceasing, therefore, to collect stones, and secretly to
throw them into the ditch, so that part being filled up by their
labours to the level of the opposing wall, they could form a
pathway in the shape of a back, from which they could con
veniently enter upon the walls of the town. We, however,
perceiving the attempt of the foe, watched over the safety of the
city, and throughout the city, and castle, and ditches, inspected
carefully where repairs and munitions were required ; which the
Turks perceiving, turned again in despair to the Jews' rampart,
and other spots ; whilst we with repairs and supports restored
such places as they had ruined, with stakes of the thickest
timber, firmly planted into the ground, and covered with earth,
and with roots, and branches interlaced, which clinging together
most tenaciously and firmly, sustained the shock of their missiles,
and protected the breach, lest the rampart falling into the city
should afford them an easy descent. We also made similar bul
warks!, with stakes interlaced with brushwood and earth, as
cover for our men, and as an obstacle to the Turks when
climbing up. We also prepared artificial fire, and other con
trivances, which might prove useful in repelling the attack of
the Turks.. We also thought it advisable to empty that part of

APPENDIX, 511
the ditch which the Turks had filled with stones ; but as that
could not otherwise be done secretly, from the situation of the
ditch, we made for ourselves an exit beneath the stones, and
secretly brought them into the town. The Turks who were
nearest the ditch, however, remarked that the heap of stones
diminished, and that the facilities for an ascent would be
reduced, unless they rapidly carried out the attack they con
templated. Thirty- eight days were passed in these labours;
and during that time 3,500 huge stones, or thereabouts, were
hurled at the ramparts, and into the town. The Turks per
ceiving that the opportunity of storming the town was being
gradually taken away from them, hastened on their preparatory
works, and on the day before the assault, and that night, and
even on the early morning itself, they battered at the walls
without intermission with eight huge bombards, hurling
enormous rocks ; they destroyed and overthrew the barriers that
had been erected behind the breach ; the sentries, look-outs,
and guards of the ramparts were mostly killed, and it was
hardly possible to mount the wall, except by taking the utmost
precautions, and by descending a little at the sound of a bell,
and afterwards continuing the ascent. Nor was time given us
to repair the ruined fortification ; since the vigour of the bom
bardment never relaxed, and in a little time 300 stones, or
thereabouts, had been discharged. The bombardment having
concluded, the Turks, at the signal of a mortar, which had been
placed there the day previous, mounted the breach, on the 7th
day of the kalends of August, in a vigorous and rapid attack ;
and the ascent was, as we have already said, easy for them,
easier than it was for our men, who had to use ladders. Anni
hilating the guard who had been placed on the summit of the
rampart, who were unable to resist that first onset, before our
reinforcements could ascend the ladders, they had occupied the
spot, and planted their standards there. The same thing oc
curred at the bastion of Italy, whose summit they gained. The
alarm was given on all sides, and a hand to hand encounter com
menced, and was carried on with the utmost vehemence. Sud
denly, our men opposing themselves to the foe, on the right and
left of the rampart, drove them from the higher places, and

512 APPENDIX.
prevented them from moving about on the walls. Of the four
ladders, too, which had been provided for the descent into the
Jews' quarter, one had been broken by our order, but having
ascended by the others, we opposed ourselves to the enemy, and
defended the place. There were, in truth, two thousand most
magnificently armed Turks upon the walls, in dense array,
opposing themselves to our men, and striving, by force of arms,
to drive them away, and expel them from the place. But the
valour of our men prevented us from giving way. To the first
body, however, of Turks, who had gained the walls, there fol
lowed an immense multitude of others, who covered the whole
country, the adjacent breach, the valley, and ditch, so that it
was hardly possible to see the ground. The deserters state that
four thousand Turks were engaged in the assault. Our men
drove about three hundred of the enemy, who were upon the
rampart, back into the Jews' quarter, where they were killed to
a man. At that conflict we raised the standard bearing the
effigy of our most sacred Lord Jesus Christ, and that of our
Order, in the presence of the enemy ; and the battle raged for
about two hours around the spot. At length the Turks, over
come, wearied, and panic-stricken, and covered with wounds,
turned their backs, and took to flight with such vehement haste
that they became an impediment to one another, and added
to their losses. In that fight there fell 3500 Turks or
thereabouts, as was known by the corpses which were found
within the city, and upon the walls, and in the ditches, as also
in the camp of the enemy, and in the sea ; and which we after
wards burnt, to prevent disease ; the spoils of which corpses fell
-into the possession of our men, who, following the fiying Turks,
£ven to their camp on the plain, slew them vigorously, and
•afterwards returned safely into the town. In which battle
many of our bailiffs and brave soldiers fell, fighting most vali
antly in the midst of the hostile battalions. We ourselves, and
many of our brothers in arms, having received many wounds,
having returned thanks to God, and placed a strong guard on
the walls, returned home ; nor was so great a calamity averted
from us save by the Divine assistance. For we could not.doubt
but that God had sent assistance from heaven, leat his poor

APPENDIX. 513
Christian people should become infected with the filth of
Mahometanlsm. Turkish women had prepared ropes, under
the hopes of obtaining possession of the city, wherewith to bind
the captives, and huge stakes, wherewith to impale them whilst
living. For they had decreed that every soul, both male and
female, above ten years of age, was to be killed and impaled ;
but the children under that age were to be led into captivity
and compelled to renounce their faith ; and all booty was to be
given over to plunder, the city being reserved for Turkish
governance. But being frustrated in their evil designs, they
fled like a flock of sheep. During these battles, and the attacks
made on different days, as also in defending the approaches, and
clearing the ditches, and in the general defence of the town by
means of our artillery, which played constantly on their army,
we killed, as the Turkish deserters revealed to us, nine thousand
of them, and an innumerable quantity more were wounded ;
amongst whom Gusman Balse and a certain son-in-law of the
sultan's died of their wounds. The struggle being ended, they
first burnt all their stores, and retired to their camp, a little dis
tance from the city, where, embarking their artillery and heavy
baggage, and consuming a few days in transporting some of their
army into Lycia, they left the Rhodian shore, and retired to
Phiscus, an ancient city on the mainland: thus they retired
beaten, with ignominy. May the omnipotent God happily
preserve your Imperial majesty to our prayers.
Given at Rhodes, on the 13th day of September, in the year
of the Incarnation of our Redeemer MCCCCLXXX,
Your imperial majesty's humble servant,
PETER D'AUBUSSON,-
Master of the Hospital of Jerusalem.

VOL, I, L L

514 APPENDIX,

No, 14,

The Document given by the Sultan Zizim to Peter
D'Aubusson when about to leave Rhodes.
Know all men, that I, the sultan Zizim, sprung from the Otto
man race, son of the invincible Mahomet, king of kings, and
sovereign emperor of Greece and Asia, am infinitely Indebted
to the very generous and most illustrious prince seigneur Peter
d'Aubusson, Grand-Master of Rhodes; but know also that,
considering the kind ofiices which he has rendered me in the
most fatal adventure of my life, and desirous of marking my
gratitude as far as the present state of my fortunes will permit,
I promise solemnly to God and our great Prophet, that if ever I
recover, either entirely or In part, my father's imperial crown,
I promise and swear that I will maintain a constant peace, and
an inviolable friendship, with the Grand-Master d'Aubusson,
and with all his successors, in accordance with the following
articles. In the first place, I pledge myself, my children, and
my children's children to maintain a perpetual attachment for
the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, to the extent that neither
I myself, nor my children, shall ever do an injury to the Knights,
either by land or by sea; that so far from obstructing their
vessels, or disturbing the commerce of the merchants of Rhodes,
or of the other islands of the religion, we will open our ports to
them, and will permit them to enter freely into all the provinces
under our sway, as though they were themselves our subjects ;
or rather we will treat them as our friends, in permitting them
to buy and sell, and to transport their merchandise wherever
they may think fit, without the payment of any duty or tax.
In addition to this, I consent that the Grand-Master shall with
draw every year from my dominions 300 Christians of both
sexes, and of such ages as he may select, to transfer them to the
islands of the Order, or for any other purpose which he may
think advisable ; and in order to make some return for the outlay
which the Grand-Master has made, and is making every day.

appendix. 515
with such liberality on my account, I agree to pay him in specie
the sum of 150,000 gold crowns. Lastly, I promise upon oath
to restore to him all the islands, all the lands, and all the for
tresses which the Ottoman emperors have captured from the
Order ; and in testimony that such is my will I have signed this
deed with my hand, and have sealed it with my seaJ. Done at
Rhodes, in the palace of the Auberge de France, on the 5 th day
of the month of Reget, in the year of the Hegira 337 (31st of
August, 1482).

No. 15,
Letter of Sir Nicholas Roberts to the Earl of
Surrey, descriptive of the Second Siege of Rhodes.
(Ex Cotton MSS. Copied from Taafe's " Knights of St.
John," This letter is much injured, and rendered illegible in
many parts,)
Ryght honerable and my singler good Lord .... thankynge
your Lordshipe  with your letters of recommen ....
to the Lord Master, the which letters I deliverede  I
deliverede to the Lord Master thos leters of recommendationes
that the Kings grace .... Cardinal, and my Lords grace, y"".
father wrot to him .... I deliueryd unto Sir Thomas Shef
field a leter that my .... your father sent hym, and he gave
me answer .... the time shold come he wold speake to . . .
for me, and to do the best he coulde for me .... it not been
for hym, my lord master was determined to ... , geven me
part of the commandrey of grace .... commandrey, called
Dynmore, bysydes leceiste  by the deth of the turko-
polier, caUyd Sir ..... whome was slain at the seage of the
Ro . . . . lord master hath given the said commandre to
Sir ... .
As touching the distructione and taking of the Rodes, I avised
your lordshipe by my Ires, datayd in february last past, w""
my next Ires, I shall send your lordship the copy of all suche
l L 2

516 appendix,
things that hath ben betwen the great Turk and us during the
seage I beleve selns the tyme of the romans as far as I have
red In , , , , was ther never no towne beshegied w* so gret an
army, both by se and by lande, as . , , , beshegied with all ;
for by the se he had t , , , , of Vsallles not lakking XVth
thousand seamen, and by Lande, a hundredth thousand fething
men, and fefte thousand laborers with spades and pikes, were
the occaslone of the taking of the Rodes in the space of four
moniths, they brought a mowntaine of erth befor them to the
walles of the towne, which was as hie agen as the walles of the
towne wer, the which , , . , the distructione and dethe of
many a man , , , . and child ; for at all such tymes as they
would geve us any batalle, they would put IIIl or V sprin-
garders upon the said mowntaine, that the people for a man
could not go in the .... of that mountaine. I was one of
those that the lord master .... Religione sent to the gret
Turk for p ... . such tyme as the pact was made betwene
the Turks and him. The gret turk ys of the age of . . . yers ;
he ys vere wise discret and muc . , , , bothe in his wordes and
also in his , . , , being of his age. I was in his courte ....
at such time as we were brought first to make our reverence
unto him we fou ... a red pavilion standing between too . . .
lions marvelous ryche and sumptu , , , . setting in a chayr,
and no creatur sat in the pavellone, which chayr was of g . , .
work of fin gold, his gard stonding near his pavilion to the
number of XXII .... they be called Sulaky, thes nomber
.... continually about his person, he ha ... . nomber of
XI thowsand of them ; they wear on ther heddes a long white
cape, and on the tope of the cape a white ostrage , , , , which
gevlth a gret show , , , , Armye was divided in fowre partes,
the captains .... waz callid as folowlth, the principall
captalne is called pero bashaw, second mustapha bashaw, the
third hakmak bashaw, the fourth the . , , . igalarbyof anatolia.
They be the IIII governours under the gret turk; eury one of
them had fifte thousand men under his Bauer, and they lay at
IIII severall places of the towne, and euery one of them made
a breche in the wall of the towne ; that in some places Vc men
on horseback myght come in at once ; and after that the wall

APPENDIX. 517
of the town was downe, they gave us battall often tymes upon
even ground, that we had no manner of advantage apone them ;
yet thankid be God and Saint John, at euery batall they
returned without their purpose. Upon Saint Andru« ys evin
last, was the last batall that was betwene the turkes and vs ; at
that batall was slain XI thousand turkes, and of our part, a
hundredth and . , . , ur score, and after that day the turkes
purposed to give vs no more batall, but to come into
the towne by trenches in so much, y*, they mad . , . , gret
trenches, and by the space of a month did come allmost into
the mydst of our towne, in so much that ther lay nightly
wtin our town , , , , thousand turkes ; the trenches wer
covered with thick taballes, and holes in them for thyer sprin-
gardes, that we could not aproche them , , . . and a monithe
after we saw precisely that the tonne was loste we would never
give over in esperance of socours, and at such tyme as we sawe
y* theyr come no succours, nor no socours reddy to come, and
considering that the most of our men were slain, we had no
powther nor .... manner of munycone, nor vitalles, but
all on by brede and water, we wer as men desperat ....
determyned to dye upon them in the felde, rather than be put
upon the stakes ; for we doubted he would give us our lyves,
considering ther wer slain so many of his men ; but in the end
of the seson they came to parlement w* vs, and demandyd to
know of vs whether we would make any partial 
and said that the gret Turk was content if we wold geve him
the walles of the towne, he would geve us our lyves and our
goodes ; the commons of the towne hearing this gret prefer,
came , , . to the lord master, and said that considering that
the walle and strength of the towne ys taken, and the municone
spent, and the most of yor Knights and men slaine, and allso
selno- ther ys no socours redy to come, they determynd ....
this partido that the gret Turk geveth us the lyves of our
wiffes and children. The lord master herlng the opinion of
the hole commonalty resolved to take that partido, fell downe
allmost ded, and what time he recoveryd himsel In sort, he seeing
them contenue in the same, at last consented to the same.
During the seage the lord master hath ben found in every

5 18 APPENDIX.
batall, oft as the worst Knight of the religione 
Knights ther war slain VII hundredth and three, of the Turkes
and hundredth and three thousand, they gave us XXII batalles,
the XX .... September was the general batall, from the
beginning of the day to hie .... without caseing ; they
gave us batalles in V places of the towne, and ther war slain by
their own confessione, at that batalle XXII thousand ; the
gret turk war ther in parson, and in the batall we had slain
three score .... upon our walles, or ever we war redy to
. . . . them ; ther war slaine of our part VI thousand and
. . . . during the siege tyme. May the Lord have your
lordship in his mercifuU kepyng, Messena, the XVth day
of May. By the hand of your faithfull cervant and
bedman,
NYCHOLAS ROBERTS.

END OP THE FIRST VOLUME.

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