J.C.1522. mafters of the important town of Belgrade, Heg. 928, & 929. "after having put to the fword all thofe who "had the temerity to refift us. Adieu." રં L'ifle Adam, displeased with this letter, which, whilft it offered peace, difplayed with fo much affectation the conquefts that the Turks had made from the Chriftians, answered: "Brother "Philip Villiers L'ifle Adam, grand master of "Rhodes, to Solyman, fultan of the Turks: I have very well comprehended the meaning of thy letter which thy ambaffador has brought me. The proposals of a peace between us are as agreeable to me as they will be disagreeable to Curtogli. This corfair, in my paffage from France, did his utmost to take me prisoner; but not having fucceeded in his project, and not being able to refolve to leave these seas without having done us fome damage, he entered the river Lycia, and endeavoured to take two merchantmen which went from our ports. "He even attacked a bark belonging to fome "Candians. But fome galleys of the Order, " which I fent from our port, obliged him to "defift, and, for fear of falling himself into our power, he fought his fafety in a fpeedy flight." As L'ifle Adam had no hoftage in his hands, he did not think it prudent to expofe a knight, as ambaffador, to the infults of a nation which knew but little of the laws of mankind. A Greek, an inhabitant of Rhodes, was charged with carrying r carrying the letter of the grand mafter to Soly- J.C 1522. J.C. 1522. engineer, a noble Breffan, called Martinengue, Heg. 928, &929, the most ingenious man of his time in fortifi L'ife Adam & his knights Prepare for their de fence. cation, who, having taken the cross of the Order, rendered it afterward the moft fignal fervices. Amidst all these preparations, the grand mafter received the following letter from the emperor of the Turks. "We are informed that the letter "which our highness has written thee, has caused "thee more aftonishment than pleasure. Know, "that I am not contented with the taking of Belgrade, but propofe to make foon another "more important conqueft, of which thou fhalt "be warned the firft, thou and thy knights be*ing feldom out of my memory." L'ifle Adam replied, by the chiau that brought this fort of challenge: "I am no way "forry at thy remembering me and the knights "of my Order. Thou mentioneft thy conquest in Hungary and thy intention to execute an other enterprise from which thou hopeft for "the fame fuccefs; but remember, that, of all "the projects formed by mankind, there are "none more uncertain than those which depend on the fortune of war." After these forts of declarations of war, they had only to think of their own defence. Some Turkish veffels had already surprised several unarmed Rhodian fhips. The grand mafter ordered the villages to be ruined, the corn to be cut, and the exterior edifices to be pulled down, even the 1 & 929. the churches, all the materials of which were J.C. 1522. Heg. 928, carried into the town, as much to be made ufe of, as not to leave the enemy the means to conftruct platforms proper to place cannon on. Every thing was burnt that could not be of use in the town, and the peasants were conducted thither, as much to fubfift them, as to employ them in the reconstruction of the fortifications that had been pulled down, and in repairing the breaches. These precautions, indifpenfable for fustaining a fiege against such a power as the Turks, caused great detriment, and impoverished the island, particularly as the large convoys, which came from other parts had drained the public treasury. The chancellor Damaral represented in open council, that they were caufing a real calamity in order to prevent an uncertain one, perhaps even imaginary; that the accounts which came from the ifles of the Archipelago faid, that the armament of the Turks menaced the isle of Candia, and even Italy; that, during the forty years which he had served the Order, he had obferved, that the uneafiness caused by the Turks had done more mischief than their hoftilities. This discourse, which, at that time, was but little noticed, contributed afterward to the ruin of Damaral. He was appointed, against his inclination, commiffary of the ftores, together with chevalier Gabriel Pommerolles, grand com. mander, and chevalier John Bouk, turcopolier or J.C.1522 or general of the horfe. Heg. 928, Martinengue, just &929. made fuperintendent of the fortifications, haftened the raifing of the baftions. He made, on the outfide of the place, cuts, ditches, intrenchments, barricades, in fhort, every work that the shortnefs of the time would permit him to undertake. The citizens of Rhodes confented to take arms. The grand mafter formed fome companies of them; but there was but very little fervice to be reaped from these people, who were neither made for fatigue nor danger. We have faid that Rhodes was fituated on a little hill, and extended by a fmall declivity as far as the borders of the fea; that the two ports were defended by two fortreffes conftructed on two advanced moles. Each of these ports was fhut by two chains of iron, at fome diftance. L'ille Adam placed garrisons in all the forts, and committed the defence of each baftion and each tower to a fingle knight. The men which this knight commanded were to be relieved every twenty-four hours. The grand mafter thought to keep up an emulation, by thus attaching each officer to the defence of one particular poft. He had feveral veffels funk, loaded with ftones, at the foot of the moles on which the cafties were conftructed, in order to render the approach imprac ticable, and to fave his troops the combats which the knights had had to fuftain at the tower of St. Nicholas during the laft fiege of Rhodes. The upper. |