274 THE HISTORY OF THE ORDER OF [book tii.

ancient tapestry of D’Aubuson showed terriblyfierce assaults. More would be certain about thetaking of Rhodes, were it not for the great fire inthe archives there.' Next was to reduce, or rathervisit (for that was enough) its dependencies, theislets of which there are several, the principal beingthe ancient Coos, country of Idypocrates andApelles, since Lango, at present Stanchio, erectedinto a fief in favour of persons who had distinguishedthemselves in the last Rhodian war, not withoutcommensurate obligations and charges regardinggalleys and troops. At its conquest in 1314, itwas confided in administration to the Langue ofProvence, though afterwards, by the generalchapter held 1 2 at Avignon, in 1356, opened to thewhole order. 3 Nor is it not to be observed thatthis is the first time Langues are spoken of, andseem to have crept in clandestinely; for neither atJerusalem, Acre, or even Cyprus, are they men-tioned. Nor did they fail to produce bad cropsfrom their very beginning, though only seven atfirst, while most dignities were common to thewhole order, at least in 1318.

Calamo, renowned for its honey, had two ex-

1 Seb. Paoli: Osservazioni, ii. 492.—Bosio: par. ii., lib. i.

2 Id.: Notizie, ii. 498.

3 Bosio: par. ii., lib. i., anno 1317.