CHAPTER XIV.

Barbarossa-Siege of Goletta-Horrible cruelties-Naval power of the Order of St. John-Their great ship-Progress of the Turkish conquests-Siege of Algiers-Acts of bravery-Tripoli -Dragut's power in the Mediterranean-The Sultan sends an expedition against Malta-It is unsuccessful-An attack on Tripoli-It surrenders.

"A curse shall light upon the limbs of men;
Blood and destruction shall be so in use,

And dreadful objects so familiar,

That mothers shall but smile when they behold
Their infants quartered with the hands of war;
All pity choked with custom of fell deeds."

ONE of the most prominent names in Europe during the middle of the sixteenth century was that of Barbarossa. There were two brothers of this name. They were men of obscure birth, natives of Mitylene, and from their youth they had been pirates. Full of courage and daring, and entirely unscrupulous, they rapidly acquired money and power, and soon had a fleet of vessels under their command, with which they made attacks upon ships and seaport towns, and became terrible throughout the Mediterranean. Solyman, the Turkish Sultan, offered them the command of his fleet, and with these increased forces they waged successful war against the European sovereigns. They made themselves masters of Algiers and Tunis, and from these ports their piratical galleys issued in greater or less

numbers, carrying fire and sword into every place that was not too strong for them.

The elder Barbarossa, Horruc, was slain in one of these expeditions, but his brother Airadin carried on the same course of piracy and plunder, sacking town after town, and carrying away the surviving inhabitants into miserable slavery.

To put a stop to this, the Emperor Charles V., in conjunction with the Pope and the Knights of Malta, got together a fleet of three hundred sail, and an army of twenty-five thousand infantry, and two thousand cavalry. They set sail in June, 1535, under the command of the famous Andrew Doria, and laid siege to Goletta, a fortified place near Tunis. After much obstinate fighting, in which, we are told, the Knights of Malta distinguished themselves by their bravery, the place was taken, and the attack was transferred to Tunis.

There were in the city no less than six thousand Christian slaves, who had been captured in the numerous piratical raids of the Barbarossas. Among these was a young knight of St. John, named Simeoni, who managed to get rid of his chains while his keepers were occupied in resisting the Emperor's attack. He immediately released some of his companions; in a short time the whole body were free and armed, and falling upon their oppressors, soon turned the tide of victory in favour of the besiegers, who discovering by signals that they had friends within the city, rushed to the attack, and speedily became masters of Tunis.

The horrible cruelties inflicted by Barbarossa for many years upon inoffending towns and their peaceful inhabitants probably roused the victors to a desire for vengeance, and made them forgetful of all Christian duty. It is certain, however, that the town was given up to pillage, and that shameful excesses were committed by the soldiery.

The naval power of the knights continued to increase, and their ships were unrivalled both for size and for their seagoing powers. When other

vessels fled to port for fear of the impending gale, the galleys of the knights were seen bravely standing on their course, trusting to good seamanship and their excellent construction for safety.

The great ship of the Order, we are told, was of enormous size, and was made shot-proof by being sheathed with iron plates.

Piracy was suppressed, and no corsair dared sail where the white cross of the Hospitallers was seen floating at the mast-head of their ships.

A long course of warfare broke the power of the robber chiefs who sheltered in the ports of northern Africa, and the Order continued true to its principles in protecting Christendom against the dreaded advance of the Mahometan powers.

But while the Turkish arms were thus kept at bay in the Mediterranean they were achieving alarming successes on the eastern side of Europe.

The King of Hungary was defeated by the Sultan in August, 1526, and his whole country became a prey to the conqueror. Cities were taken and sacked,

and the inhabitants put to death, or carried away into slavery; and in September, 1529, an immense Turkish army laid siege to Vienna.

Happily the fortifications were strong, and the defenders were brave; and after some weeks of fruitless effort, Solyman retired, Had Vienna fallen, all western Europe would have been at the mercy of the Turk.

The next great expedition in which the Order took part was the siege of Algiers. This was an undertaking upon which the Emperor Charles V. had for some time set his heart, and as soon as opportunity occurred, he determined to carry it out, notwithstanding the lateness of the season.

The veteran Admiral Andrew Doria tried to dissuade the Emperor from his purpose, and earnestly urged the expediency of delay, saying that they would both probably never survive if they embarked at that stormy season. To which the Emperor only replied, "Two and twenty years of Empire for me, and three score and twelve of life for you, ought to satisfy us, so as to make us both die contented," and he gave orders for embarkation at once.

The fleet encountered a severe storm, but arrived safely at its destination, and the siege was begun. An eye-witness, who sent a report to the Pope, speaks with admiration of the serried ranks of the Knights of St. John, and of the noble appearance they presented with their crimson velvet vests, marked with a white cross over their armour, and of their bravery in every attack.

On one occasion a French knight, being wounded by a Moor, leaped upon the crupper of his enemy's horse, and stabbed him in the back.

Another knight, having advanced as far as the city gates, stuck his dagger into them, and left it there, being unable to go any further.

Another, though dying from his wounds, by poisoned arrows, refused to give up the standard of the Order, and, supported by a soldier, held it up till he died.

All this bravery, however, was unavailing. A storm destroyed the greater part of the fleet, and the army was left without provisions or protection from the weather, so that a retreat was determined on, and the unfortunate expedition ended in failure.

The Order at this time once more petitioned the Emperor to permit them to abandon Tripoli. They said it could never be made strong, and that it was only a waste of labour and strength to attempt to hold and defend; but the Emperor, looking upon it as a help to the defence of his dominions in Sicily, refused to allow them to give it up, and reminded them of the charter by which they had pledged themselves to its defence when they accepted Malta. They were therefore obliged to keep the place in spite of the great risks that it involved; and the command of this dangerous post was entrusted to De Valier, the Marshal of the Order, and a knight of tried valour.

Able men were indeed wanted at this time to