J.C.1522 notes thrown into the town were unceasingly Heg. 928,

&959. menacing them with.

The grand

confents to

tion.

One day, the archbishops being admitted to mafter the council to plead the cause of the people, three a capitula- merchants brought a request in the name of all the citizens, which contained in substance juft what the prelates had been faying, and ended with an indirect menace, to feparate the cause of the citizens from that of the Order. All laws both divine and human, they faid, obliged them to provide for the safety of their wives and children. Notwithstanding the refiftance of L'isle Adam, who was always for continuing the defence, all the grand croffes who compofed the council were for ordering the commanders and inspectors of the posts from their duty, to learn from them the ftate of their intrenchments, and, in fine, if it were poffible to hold out. The grand prior of St. Gilles, and the bailiff Martinengue, that celebrated Breffan engineer, who had the principal inspection, and who had both performed prodigies of valour during the fiege, declared, that all the out-pofts were in the poffeffion of the enemy; that the Turks had even gained more than forty paces in the inner part of the town, and that it was no longer poffible for the knights to fortify themselves again whilft they loft ground, as the works which the Turks were mafters of commanded all the neighbouring quarters; that moreover they abfolutely wanted

powder

& 929.

powder and even faltpetre to make it with; that C.1522. Heg. 928, the scarcity of corn would prefently be felt; that, in fine, the place was no longer tenable, and that there was abfolutely nothing to be done but capitulate. All the reports agreeing with this general one, the grand mafter confented, againft his will, to have a white flag hoifted on the top of a mill which looked towards the camp.

two grand

the camp

Turks,

agreeing to

fiege re

ces.

The Turks answered this fignal by another He sends flag. The fire ceafed on both fides; and fome croffes to knights, going outfide their walls, met two Turks, of the whom they took for officers of rank, by the rich- who not nefs of their clothes. They gave the knights the condia letter from Solyman, addreffed to the grand tions, the mafter, after which they retired, without further commenexplaining themfelves. By this letter the Turk offered an honorable capitulation, if the Order would inftantly furrender the island; he threatened to have all the knights, foldiers, inhabitants, women, and children, put to the fword, in cafe they fhould think of defending themselves a longer time. L'ifle Adam fent immediately two grand croffes to the emperor, with orders to demand of him, by way of preliminary, a truce for eight days, and to lay before his highness, the treaty made between Bajazet II. his grand-father, and the grand master Aubuffon, in which Bajazet loaded with imprecations the emperors his fucceffors who fhould attempt to take the isle of Rhodes. The young monarch, irritated, tore

& 929.

J.C.1522. the treaty in pieces, and refused to grant the Heg. 928, truce, because he was always afraid that fuccours would come from Europe. He ordered the deputies to be gone, and caufed the town to be again fired on. In this interval, one part of people, or rather of the populace of Rhodes, came to complain to the grand mafter, of his going to deliver the town to Infidels, who knew not how to obferve treaties. Some young, prefumptuous men, animated by the cries of their countrymen, offered to defend the breaches which the knights wanted to abandon. This fort of commotion revived the heart of L'ifle Adam; he faw with pleasure the capitulation broken off; but as the scarcity of ammunition augmented, they could answer but very feebly to the enemy's fire. Befides, these citizen-foldiers who had fo earneftly folicited to guard the posts, prefently relented of their fervency, to fuch a degree, that the grand master was obliged, the day after the renewing of the fiege, to have a fentinel, who had quitted his poft, hanged, because this bad example was already but too much followed. After three days, an affault, which the knights repulfed with great lofs, convinced L'ifle Adam that the fame breach could not refift another fuch attack. All the fortifications were nothing but heaps The treaty of rubbish. The grand mafter liftened to the instances of the wifeft of the citizens, and even of his knights, who repeated to him several

is renewed.

times, that true bravery did not confift in volun- J.C.1522. Heg. 928, tarily destroying what could be faved. He fent & 929. these fame two grand croffes, with two Rhodian citizens who spoke the Turkish language fluently, to the emperor, who ordered his grand vizier Achmet to prepare immediately the articles of capitulation with the envoys from Rhodes. was then agreed:

*

It

the treaty.

"That the churches fhould not be prophaned, Articles of and that the inhabitants fhould not at any time be obliged to deliver up their children for the fervice of the feraglio, or to be brought up in the janiffaries.

"That the free exercife of the Chriftian religion fhould be permitted.

"That the people fhould be exempt from taxes for five years.

"That all those, who wished to leave the island, should have permiffion.

"That if the grand mafter and the knights. had not veffels fufficient to carry them to Candia, they should be provided by the Turks.

"That the space of twelve days fhould be allowed, to be counted from the figning of the treaty, for embarking their effects.

"That they should have liberty to carry away the relicks of Saints, the facred veffels, the ornaments of the churches, their records, and all the cannon which they made ufe of in arming their galleys.

J.C. 1522. Heg. 928, & 929.

"That all the forts of the ifle of Rhodes, and the other iflands belonging to the Order, fhould be delivered up to the Turks.

"That, in order to facilitate the execution of this treaty, the Ottoman army fhould remove fome miles diftant, and that, during their abfence, the fultan fhould fend four thousand janiffaries, commanded by their aga, to take poffeffion of the place.

c Lastly, that the grand mafter, for fecurity of his word, fhould deliver into the hands of the Turks, as hoftages, twenty-five knights, among whom there should be two grand croffes, with twenty-five of the principal inhabitants of the town."

This treaty having been figned by the deputies, knights, and citizens, on the one part, and on the other by the grand vizier Achmet, ratified by the grand master and by the grand croffes, who compofed the council, the hoftages agreed on repaired to the camp. The aga of the janiffaries came to take poffeffion of Rhodes with four thousand men; and the knights, after a most bloody fiege of fix months, prepared to quit this fovereignty, which they had poffeffed two hundred and twenty years, with so much glory and utility to the commerce of all the Chriftian nations, and had fo valiantly defended at different times.

The