Grand Master ordered a number of houses to be pulled down, and a deep ditch to be dug on their site; and behind that a new wall was constructed with the greatest rapidity, the work being continued night and day without intermission, knights and civilians, men, women, and children labouring side by side; even the nuns coming from their convent to lend their aid.

The artillery of the Turks, however, not only shattered the walls, but inflicted terrible injury upon the town and its inhabitants. The cannonade was heard distinctly at a distance of one hundred miles.

It was found necessary to remove the women and children to the other side of the town, and to construct retreats for them of huge masses of timber which might protect them from the vertical fire of the mortars, which threw heavy stone balls into almost every part of the city.

An attempt was made by two spies to procure the assassination of the Grand Master, by promises of great rewards and honours; but the temptation was resisted, and the spies given up to punishment.

The Turkish engineers next constructed a floating bridge, to facilitate a second attack upon Fort St. Nicholas; but, during the night, an English sailor, named Rogers, swam out and cut the cable, so that the bridge drifted away and was lost.

Notwithstanding this, a night attack was made upon the fort with the greatest fury, and with enormous slaughter on both sides; but the defenders were able to keep the enemy from getting possession of the work.

The Turks now seemed to be exhausted with their efforts, or discouraged by their failures and losses, and for three days no further attack was made.

The Grand Master, however, feared that some new design was being prepared, and was ceaseless in his vigilance; and, it is said, that he seemed never to take any sleep, but might be seen at all hours of the day and night, sitting upon his horse reconnoitring, his armour glittering as the sun or the moon shone upon it; giving orders; and superintending the workmen and soldiers, who laboured incessantly to repair or strengthen the battered and crumbling defences.

At this time, some of the knights began to despair of maintaining the defence, and seeing the dilapidated condition of the walls, and the filling up of the ditches by the stones that had fallen from them, proposed that terms of capitulation should be offered to the Turkish commander, lest the place should be taken by assault, with all its terrible consequences.

When this came to the ears of D'Aubusson, his distress and indignation were great. He called together the knights, and addressed them thus: "Gentlemen, if any of you think yourselves not safe in this place, the port is not yet so closely blockaded, but that you may find means to get out." And then he added, with a stern expression and measured tones, "but if any of you think fit to stay with me, speak no more of capitulation; for if you do, your lives shall pay for it."

The resolution of their leader restored the confi

dence of the waverers, and no more was heard of surrender.

The Turkish general, finding the capture of the place so much more difficult than he expected, himself proposed terms of capitulation. He sent a flag of truce by some officers, urging the Grand Master to save further bloodshed, and to give up the town on honourable terms, rather than expose the inhabitants to the destruction which he declared was inevitable and near.

D'Aubusson replied that he had no thought of surrender, and no fear of capture, and simply declined to consider for a moment any proposal of the enemy.

Soon after this, another and more determined attack was made. Great secrecy was observed, and before the knights were aware of it, a large body of troops was in possession of the walls and outer defences. It was a moment of imminent peril, and demanded all the bravery of the defenders to meet it. The Grand Master immediately marched at the head of the knights to meet the assailants.

A most desperate encounter ensued, in which each side strained every nerve, knowing that everything depended upon the issue of the day. D'Aubusson fought hand to hand with the enemy, and was wounded in several places. The Turkish forces seemed numberless; as soon as one body retired unsuccessful, another came on, and the wearied and wounded knights had to renew the battle with fresh and vigorous enemies. The end, however, was the

same as before. The city still held out, though the ranks of the knights were sadly thinned, and the Grand Master himself had to be carried to his bed to be healed of his wounds.

This defeat filled the Turks with despair, and they determined to raise the siege and retire.

It is said that 9000 had been killed, and 15,000 wounded. After three months' fruitless effort, therefore, they embarked in their ships and sailed away, to the great joy of the brave defenders of this outpost of Christendom.

Thanksgivings were offered up in the churches, rewards were liberally distributed to those who had distinguished themselves, and all Europe rejoiced that the bravery and endurance of the Knights of St. John had maintained a bulwark to shelter them from the dreaded yoke of the Mahometan conqueror.

Had Rhodes been taken, Italy would speedily have been overrun. As it was, the city of Otranto was seized and held by the Turks, and if forces had been available, the whole of the long-coveted peninsula, from the Alps to Sicily, would have become Turkish. What that means we can understand when we see what other fair countries have become under the same circumstances; and we can perhaps imagine what would have been the injury to civilization if Italy, with all its cultivation, had fallen under the blighting sway of the Moslems in the fifteenth century.

Mahomet was furious when he heard that his army had failed to take Rhodes. He determined, however,

to make another attempt, and this time to command in

person.

He immediately set about collecting forces, and before long he was at the head of 300,000 men. But his ambitious designs were frustrated by the hand of death. He was seized with illness on his march towards the coast, and died May 3, 1481, almost the last words upon his lips being "Rhodes."

CHAPTER XI.

The sons of Mahomet II.-Zizim seeks refuge with the knights of St. John-Intrigues of Pope Alexander VI.-Remonstrance of the Grand Master-D'Aubusson regulates the internal discipline of the Order-Death of D'Aubusson-Operations of the TurksExploits of the Knights of St. John-Capture of a valuable ship— Sultan Selim-Solyman II.-Rhodes threatened-Inertness of the Christian powers-L'Isle Adam Grand Master.-Envy and treachery of D'Amaral-Preparations at Rhodes-The Italian Lange in schism.

"O that we now had here

But one ten thousand of those men in England
That do no work to-day!"

SHAKESPEARE.

MAHOMET left two sons, Bajazet and Zizim, and they speedily began a civil war for the acquisition of the throne of their father. A long series of battles and intrigues followed, which ended in the defeat of Zizim, who was obliged to flee for his life.

In this extremity, he took the resolution of giving himself up to the Knights of Rhodes, whose honour