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J.C.1484, neceffary to go back a little, to fee what fuccours

to 1489.

Heg. 889, this unfortunate prince found, among the greatest enemies of his race.

to 894.

Conclufion

of the hiftory of Zizim.

The reader must remember, that the grand master Aubuffon, in order to make a neceffary peace with the Ottoman empire, fent Zizim to J.C.1495. France, and engaged to retain him there. And

Heg. 900.

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indeed, fome knights were charged by the grand master to keep this prince in a commandery of the grand priory of Auvergne, called Bourganeuf. The knights never quitted him, under pretence of rendering him honor, and even of serving him. Zizim, perceiving his captivity, fent to request an interview of Lewis XI. king of France, in which he hoped to intereft him in his fituation. Lewis, who had affairs of more importance than thofe of the Eaft, thought he had found a way to elude the demands of the Turkish prince, by affuring him, that he would never confent to give him any fuccour, nor even to speak to him, 'till he fhould turn Christian. Zizim not only looked upon the Christian religion with horror, but the hope, which he never loft, of mounting one day on the throne of Conftantinople, was another reafon for his not abjuring his faith. In these wretched circumftances, he learned, that the knights of Rhodes had juft trafficked with his liberty, and that it was the price of the peace concluded between the Order and the Ottoman empire. All the princes, who had any affair to de

Heg. 900

cide with the Eaft, were interested in putting J.C. 1495. Zizim at the head of a party, in order to make the Ottomans turn their arms against themselves. Ferdinand the Catholic, Ferdinand king of Naples, and the Venetians, wanted to set up this prince against Bajazet. Aubuffon, for the honor as much as for the intereft of his Order, was obftinate in fulfilling his treaty. But Innocent VIII. who fucceeded Sixtus IV. more abfolute and enterprifing than his predeceffor, ordered the grand mafter, (a vaffal and fuffragan of the Holy See,) to remit him prince Zizim, whom he proposed to make use of for the good of Christendom against the Mahometan power. Aubuffon, who could not refift, made an advantage of his obedience. He obtained from the pontiff, that, neither he, nor his fucceffors, fhould ever confer any commandery to the prejudice of the nations or laws of feniority, even though they should become vacant in the court of Rome. Innocent declared likewife, that the poffeffions of the Order of Rhodes fhould not be, for the future, included in the roll of benefices which the pope referves to himself.

This treaty being agreed on, the knights fent to Charles VIII. the fon and fucceffor of Lewis XI. to ask permiffion to take Zizim from his dominions. At the fame time there arrived an ambaffador in France from the Porte, whom Bajazet had fent to the king. Charles VIII, made

a

Heg. 900.

J.C. 1495 a fcruple of giving audience to the ambassador of an Infidel. He fent him orders to remain at Riez in Provence, from whence he should declare the object of his miffion. Bajazet requested, that his brother might be delivered up to him, or, at least, that the king should not permit him to go out of his dominions. To give weight to his demand, the Turkish emperor offered Charles VIII. all the relicks that Mahomet his father had found, either at Conftantinople or in any other part of his empire; and as he was at that time at war with Egypt, he promised to restore him Jerufalem and all its territory, as foon as he should be in poffeffion of it. But the French, by this time, were out of conceit with crufades, on account of the misfortunes which those indifcreet expeditions had drawn on the whole kingdom. Moreover, Charles VIII. had not that fondness for relicks which Lewis XI. had fhewn, and all thofe that came from the Greeks were fufpected, even by the most credulous. Bajazet's ambaffador was fent back without having obtained any thing, or even been admitted to an audience. Charles VIII. permit-ted the knights of Rhodes to conduct their prifoner to Rome, on condition of his remaining always under their guard, and that the pope fhould engage not to give up Zizim to any fovereign prince, without the participation of the court of France.

Chevalier

Heg. 900.

Chevalier Blanchefort, become grand prior of J.C.1495. Auvergne, was charged with conducting this prince to Italy, who only changed prifons. The pope impatiently expected him. Notwithstanding the averfion of the Italians for the followers of Mahomet, Zizim's captivity was concealed under the number of honors that were paid him, as if he had been a Chriftian prince. He made his entry: A into Rome, mounted on a superb horse, and furrounded by a numerous retinue. An apartment had been prepared for him in the Vatican. The day after his entrance, the French ambaffador and the grand prior of Auvergne conducted the prince to the audience of the pope. The fovereign pontiff, accompanied by the cardinals and prelates of his court, received Zizim on his throne. This prince faluted the pope after the manner of his nation; but, spite of the entreaties that were made him by the masters of the ceremonies, he would never kifs his feet, nor bend the knee before him. It was remarked even, that he asked the pontiff's protection, with a dignity that the Italian prelates termed arrogance. Innocent anfwered him kindly; and whilft that pontiff lived, the captivity of the Turkish prince was much more fupportable at Rome, than it had been in France. They paid him great honors, and gave him as much liberty as the neceffity of fecuring his perfon could admit of. But at the death of Innocent VIII. the culpable Borgia, under the name of Alexander

J.C. 1495. Alexander VI. came to dishonor the fee of Saint Heg. 900.

Peter, by all the crimes that placed him in the papal throne, and all those which he committed during his pontificate. As every thing was venal at the court of this tyrant, after he had trafficked with the ecclefiaftical benefices, difpenfations, and every thing spiritual, he would alfo fell the liberty, even the life of Zizim, who was in his power. Alexander took this prince out of the hands of the knights of Rhodes, fhut him up in the caftle of St. Angelo, and gave advice of it to the emperor Bajazet, who agreed to pay the pope forty thousand ducats a year for keeping him a prifoner.

Meanwhile, Charles VIII. king of France, was making great preparations, to make good the pretenfions of the houfe of Anjou, to the crown of Naples, which, by the will of Charles IV. of Anjou, had been transferred to Lewis XI. The pope, high fovereign of the kingdom, protected the baftard branch, which occupied the throne; but Charles VIII. who contemned the pontiff, threatened to have him depofed in a council, for the numerous crimes by which he had procured the tiara, and the many which had poluted him fince. They pretended befides, that the ambitious Charles VIII. had purchafed the right of the Paleologuffes to the eastern empire, in order to claim it after he should be in poffeffion of the kingdom of Naples. In these circumstances,

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