HISTORY Of MALTA.

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air to prevent suffocation. On emerging from this confined situa-tion, they all appeared pale and chilled, and when exposed to thefresh air, the greater part fainted away; but, with proper assistance,were perfectly recovered.

The lost galleys were soon replaced. The grand-master builtone at Messina; the crew of which was furnished by the pope.Philip II., of Spain, presented the order with two well-armedgalleys. Du Broc, prior of St. Gilles, likewise sent a large galleonto Malta, commanded by his nephew : it contained provisions, am-munition, and soldiers in readiness to be immediately employed atsea. Almost at the same time, Francis of Lorrain, grand-prior ofFrance, entered the port with two galleys, and offered his servicesto the grand-master.

Whilst the order was thus employed in repairing its sea-forces,the corsairs from Barbary infested the coasts of Malta and Goza.Dragut even attempted a descent; but he was soon forced to retire,leaving the booty to the slaves he had made on the coast.

The Maltese galleys once more became the terror of theinfidels ; and the grand-prior of France, with only four galleys, at-tacked six Turkish ones close to Rhodes ; three of which he put toflight, and, after sinking two others, brought the sixth to Malta,whither he returned covered with wounds and with glory.

The exploits performed by the knights at sea became everyday more considerable, and I greatly regret my inability to enu-merate them to the reader: I cannot, however, possibly pass overin silence the heroic and generous manner in which a Gascon knight