They ar the town to have already obferved that the garrifon of this J.C.1551. Heg. 958. place was neither numerous nor well disciplined; but Gafpard Valier, of the nation of Auvergne, rive before who commanded there, was a knight of valour fummon Tripoli, & and military talents, and much refpected in the furrender. Order, of which he was marshal and grand crofs. The day after the arrival of the fleet at Tachora, which is only four leagues from Tripoli, Sinan bashaw fent a fubaltern officer thither, carrying a white flag. This man advanced as far as the rampart, where he planted a cane, to which was fastened a paper: he left word that he would return the next day for an answer. It was found expreffed in the following terms: "Sur"render to the mercy of the grand feignior, "who has commanded me to reduce this place "under his power, and I will give you leave "to retire with all your effects; otherwife I " will have you all put to the fword. Signed "SINAN BASHAW." The governor, refolved to make a good defence, notwithstanding the inequality of his forces, caufed the following answer to be placed on the cane. "The defence "of Tripoli has been intrufted to me by my bre"thren, and I cannot furrender the place to any "one but him who fhall be nominated to me "by the grand mafter and council of my Order. "I will defend it against all others whilft I have "life. Signed MARSHAL GASPARd Valier.” VOL. II. F The ر J.C. 1551. The bafhaw made his fleet advance immediately. The landing was effected without the least oppofition, because the knights would not weaken the garrison. Sinan bashaw and Dragut had full leisure to examine the out-works. Befides the garrifon's confifting only of two hundred Calabrians, whom we have spoken of, and four hundred Moors, who, though Muffulmen, were enemies of the Turks, the town was but badly fortified. The knights of Saint John had feveral times requested Charles V. to take this dangerous present off their hands; but that prince chose rather to have a place so important and weak defended and repaired by the Order of Malta, than by himself. The present which he had made them of the ifle or rather rock of Malta, neither diminished his authority nor his finances. He gave these religious foldiers a rock which did not feem intended by nature to nourish men; for at that time there were scarcely four thousand inhabitants in the whole island, who led a languishing life, and could not flatter themfelves with removing their misery by labour. It was neceffary to have the riches which the Order of Saint John of Jerufalem poffeffed throughout Christendom, and the courage, industry, and attachment of the knights to their inftitution, to render this ifland fo flourishing as we fee it at this day. Charles V. forefaw, that, by giving Malta to the knights of St. John, he should esta blish a strong citadel, well advanced in the fea, J.C.1551 for the defence of Sicily and his other poffeffions in Italy; and he hoped that the knights, by repairing Tripoli, would preferve him an entrance. into Africa, or that, if Christendom must lose that place, it might not be loft in his hands. the French at the army. They were juft going to open the trenches, Arrival of when a Maltese brigantine, carrying French ambassador colours, arrived in the middle of the fleet, Turkish faluting the grand feignior's flag. The captain galley returned the falute; and whilst every one was in the greatest astonishment, they faw get into a fhallop, which the bafhaw had dif patched to the brigantine, Lewis Daramont, ambaffador from France to the Porte. This minifter, sent for the fecond time to Conftantinople, had put into the isle of Malta a few days after the departure of the Ottoman fleet. On the repeated folicitations of the principal officers of the Order, he thought he should render his mafter a great service, and not exceed his powers, if he could prevent the Turks from befieging Tripoli. Leaving at Malta the two galleys which were to convey him to Conftantinople, he embarked in a light brigantine to endeavour to prevent the operations of the fiege, relying on his intimacy with Sinan bashaw, by whom he was received in fact with diftinction. The French ambaffador reprefented to the general, that the Order of Malta was no way subject to the emperor of the Weft, and F 2 VOL, II. that J.C. 1551 that it was not at war with the Porte; that this Heg. 958. Com mence.. ment of republic, compofed of gentlemen from all the nations of Chriftendom, was the intimate ally of his master Henry II.; that the king of France would take it as a great favor of the Porte to fpare this town, over which the emperor of the Weft had no longer any right; and that the knights were not fo devoted to Charles V. as the Turks feemed to think. Inftead of making a reply, the bashaw fhewed his orders. The ambaffador, seeing that the Turk was deaf to his reasons and prayers, faid he would proceed with all hafte to Conftantinople, as he was fure of being heard by the grand feignior, and that he would return in time to prevent the town from being taken, Sinan replied, that he could not permit him to go before the end of the fiege; and, without respecting the law of nations, which the Turks know but little of, he inftantly ordered the brigantine which had brought the ambaffador to be unrigged. Except this violence, he was treated with all the refpect due to his character. Sinan bashaw, without lofs of time, had the trenches opened, and three batteries erected near the fiege. the weakest part of the place, in order that the fire might be continual, Whilft the cannon of two of these batteries were charging and cooling, the third fired. By this manner of proceeding the breach was foon open, and the Turks conceived hopes of not remaining a long time be fore Heg. 958. fore Tripoli. They would have been still more .C. 1551certain of it if they had known what was paffing in the place. The knights who ferved under marshal Valier were not all equally attached to their duty. The major part regarded their chief, rather as a Frenchman who took too much on himself, in undertaking to defend a place open and badly fortified, and in expofing to certain death foldiers who were not his own, than as a knight of St. John, who refpected the honor of his Order. The indifcreet difcourse of those whofe duty it was to fhew a good example, foon fpread among the foldiery. The whole garrison was feized with terror. The flaves presently refused to repair the breaches. Stretched on the ground, they fuffered themselves to be loaded with stripes, rather than expose themselves to the fire of the batteries. A French fervant at arms, called Defroches, to whom the defence of a fmall fortrefs fon is advanced into the fea had been intrusted, where he commanded thirty Calabrians, difcovered, that his foldiers meant to defert in a boat, after they fhould have fet fire to a train which was to blow up a powder magazine near the fortrefs. Defroches immediately informed marshal Valier of it. It was equally dangerous to appear to know, or to be ignorant of this horrid plot. The grand marshal, under different pretences, withdrew all these accomplices from their post before the time agreed on for their flight, and had the powder magazine The garri mutinous |