J.C. 1463. the fovereign, who was but too eafy to be intiHeg. 868. midated; he affured him all was loft, and that there was hardly time to make a treaty. The cowardly prince left every thing to his perfidious coufin. Lucius delivered up the island, under the apparent condition, of the emperor's giving another fovereignty to the dethroned prince, and both went to Conftantinople to await the execution of Mahomet's promises. As foon as the emperor was returned to his capital, he gave the two Gattilufios the choice, of abjuring the Christian religion, or death: one may well fuppofe, that these two cowards had no ambition for the crown of martyrdom; both fubmitted to this apoftacy, with the hopes of faving their lives, which the fultan had no intention, to leave them. A few days after, Mahomet had them arrested on a frivolous pretext, because, he said, they had endeavoured to go out of Conftantinople without his permiffion; he caused them both to be ftrangled. He treated ftill more cruelly those Chriftians who had armed and defended Metelin. They had furrendered to the vizier, under the promise of life; fpite of this promise fo folemnly given, the fultan had thefe unfortunate perfons fawn afunder betweeen two planks.

Illness of

Mahomet was stopped in the course of his Mahomet. conquefts by a fevere fit of illness, which threaHis impatience increafed his diforder

tened his life.

He feizes

mania.

diforder to fuch a degree, that two Jewish phy- J.C.1463. Heg. 868. ficians, not having been able to procure him a recovery as foon as they had promised, were empaled by his orders. A Turkish hiftorian fays, that, in the delirium of a violent fever, he talked of nothing but the ifle of Rhodes, and that he difpofed the operations of the fiege, calling aloud on the janiffaries. Though he never forgot this project, it was not the firft that he executed after J.C.1464. Heg. 869. his recovery. Caraman Ogli was lately dead: his children, not being able to agree about the di- the Caravifion of their paternal inheritance, implored the mediation of Mahomet, who fhewed, on this occafion, how dangerous it is for petty fovereigns to call in powerful kings to decide their quarrels. The fultan at first seerned to protect the eldest of Caraman's fons, when all of a fudden, manifeft-' ing his real defigns, he declared, that Caramania had always been a part of the eastern empire, and that he should re-enter the inheritance, wrested from Bajazet I. by the arms of Tamerlane; that the troubles, excited in Afia by the different fovereigns of this province, fhewed, how perilous it was to leave it under an independent mafter; and that, in fine, the intereft of his ftate required the re-union of it to the throne of Conftantinople. Caraman's fons complained of the injuftice; but Mahomet's arms fupported his reasons. He indemnified himself, by the facility of this conqueft, for the difadvantages which

Y 2

J.C. 1464 which the valour and obftinacy of Scanderbeg Heg. 869. caused him in Albania. He had the different places repaired in Caramania, and repeopled that province, which the restlefs difpofition of feveral of its fovereigns had drained of men and rendered barren.

Scander

Scanderbeg's efforts, as we have already seen, employed the fultan for several years. The province of Albania, poor and defolated, impracticable on account of its defilés, defended by a

hero, and by foldiers confidered almost as inDeath of vulnerable, humbled every year the pride of Mabeg. homet, and offered no kind of food to his avidity. J.C.1467- But he determined at length to get rid of this Heg. 871. great general. Convinced of the impoffibility of vanquishing him, he endeavoured to have him affaffinated. This perfidy was discovered, and the affaffins received the punishment that they merited. The invincible prince furvived this discovery but a fhort time. Being at Liffa, a town that belonged to the Venetians, in order to confer with them about a league, of which his fucceffes pointed him out for commander, he was attacked with a fevere illness which carried off this great man in a few days, the 17th of January 1467, leaving one fon, as yet an infant, whofe interests he intrusted to the Venetians. Though Scanderbeg is one of the greatest warriors mentioned in history, his valour was not fo fatal to the Ottoman empire as might have been expected, Mahomet

Heg. $74

Negropona

Mahomet next turned his arms against the ifle IC. 1469. of Negropont, formerly called Euboe, which belonged to the Venetians. This inland faces Attica Siege of and Beotia, from which it is feparated, only by a ftrait. It is a hundred and fifty miles long, forty in its greatest breadth, and twenty in its leaft. Its circuit is three hundred and fixty-five miles. A bridge, conftructed with great boldnefs, joins this island to Beotia, in the narrowest part of the ftrait. The capital town, formerly called Calcis, is now called Negropont. This place was well fortified; they counted at that time twenty-four thousand men there capable of bearing arms, the garrifon and townfmen included. The fultan arrived on the banks of the ftrait at the head of a hundred and forty thousand fighting men. A fleet of a hundred fail, which turned continually around the ifland, was commanded by the vizier Machmout. Mahomet

entered the inland with half his army, leaving the other half encamped by the water's fide at the extremity of the bridge, to relieve the befiegers. The Venetians had likewife a fleet under the orders of the noble Canalé, to which were joined the galleys of Rhodes, of which commander Cardone was the chief. This fleet, lefs numerous than that of the Turks, was compofed of fwift failing veffels, and had cannon on board. Commander Cardone propofed to Canalé to break down the bridge which joined the island to Beotia.

The

J.C. 1469. The Turkish fleet could not prevent them; but Heg. 874. Canalé having feen on the deck of his fhip his only fon, a young lad, receive an arrow in his clothes, his paternal love took from him his courage; under vain pretences he withdrew his fleet, and thus deprived the befieged of all the fuccours that he should otherwife have given them.

Mahomet puts the

to death,

This weakness decided the fate of Negropont, governor though the proveditor Arretzo, who commanded contrary to in the place, defended it with much courage and mife, and ability. A garrison, which diminished every daughter, day, and was reduced likewife to the laft extreed his de- mity, could not refift a powerful army, which

his pro

kills his

who refift

Ares.

unceasingly furnished fresh troops. It was neceffary to yield to famine and number. Arretzo capitulated, demanding life for himfelf and his foldiers Mahomet anfwered for the heads of the Venetians by his own; but he had no fooner entered Negropont, than he had the brave Arretzo and his principal officers fawn through the middle of the body, faying, that he had guaranteed their heads, but not their flanks. The unfortunate proveditor defired, when he died, to have his only daughter put to death, whose innocence and beauty were too much exposed among these barbarians. He was anfwered, that his daughter was referved for the emperor's feraglio. In fact, fhe was dragged before the murderer of her father. This unfortunate fair one let him fee all the horror with which he in