HISTORY OF MALTA.

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those which were either burnt or sunk. The loss of the Christianswas computed at seven thousand six hundred men, and fourteen cap-tains of galleys.

Peter de Monte had the satisfaction, before he died, to see his au-thority acknowledged by the royal convent of Hospitaller Dames atSixena, who had for a considerable time disowned any dependenceon the order. I will, in this place, give some account of the illus-trious origin of this institution, which was undoubtedly one of themost celebrated of the kind in Europe.

Sancha, the daughter of Alphonso king of Castille, was thewife of Alphonso II., sirnamed the Chaste, king of Arragon. Thisnoble dame, cruelly afflicted by the loss of the Holy Land, and hear-ing of the dispersion and misfortunes of its inhabitants, founded amonastery, in her dominions, of noble ladies of the order of St.John, to preserve the memory of so many illustrious knights whohad so lately perished by the troops of Saladin. Her daughter, an-other queen Sancha, founded likewise a monastery of Hospitallers atSixena, a small tovrn between Saragossa and Lerida. This institu-tion was dependent on the grand-prior of Arragon; and the houseshe built for the purpose had much more the appearance of a pa-lace than of a nunnery. She indeed imagined it might in future servefor a retreat, not only for herself, but for other princesses of theroyal family : she therefore attended extremely to the convepienceand magnificence of the building, to the extent of the inclosure, andparticularly to ensuring a large and certain revenue to the order.Sixty noble young ladies were, according to the rules of the founda-

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