HISTORY or MALTA.

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lie should be put to the question, that from the violence of the tor-ture he might be induced to confess that he had given up Tripoli tothe Turks by the instigations of the French ambassador.

No sooner was Villegagnon informed of this dreadful conspiracy,than he repaired to the council, and demanded, in the name ofthe king's envoy, that the letter intended for Henry should be com-mitted to his care. On the difficulties started by the grand-masterto delay the departure of the envoy, and on his questioning Yille-gagnon on the motives which induced him to press the sending theletter, the latter, after some preliminary explanations to the assem-bly, turned towards Omedes, and thus addressed him : “ Since youcommand me to explain my particular reasons for wishing these pa-pers to be sent into France, I will acquaint you with them; andthat not only with the sincerity and openness I have ever possessed,but with the respect due to your person, and to the august assemblybefore which I stand.” Then, raising his voice with all the pride ofconscious rectitude, he thus proceeded : “ Reports the most inju-rious to your honour, my lord, have for some days past beenspread abroad. It is publicly declared, that, in a private conferencewith La Combe, you have agreed with him that he should under-take a second time to bring an action against the marshal; thatthe same iniquitous judge should, by torture, extort confessions ofcrimes he never committed, for which he should be sentenced todie; and that, after his execution, such confessions should be sub-stituted in lieu of the letter ordered by the council to be written tothe king. This, it is said, is the sole reason why the secretary has,