32 1 THE HISTORY OF THE ORDER OF [book it.

with the indiscipline of free-livers, allowed them-selves to be surprised; and then a most splendidcharge of the cavalry, headed by the Count ofNevers, but contrary to prudent advice, and not ir-resistible, as he flattered himself, was followed byan overthrow the most complete. The van of theTurkish forces, composed (as usual) of their worsttroops, Nevers easily breaking it, imagined he hadbroken the whole Moslem army; but upon reach-ing the top of the hillock, saw them in full arrayand vast numbers; the Janissaries nearly intact. Itwas too late fora retreat; so the fierce lions becametimorous hares , 1 and were cut to pieces. Littlequarter. Of the Christians most slain, the rest taken ;and if the King of Hungary and the grand mastergot into a boat, it was by the greatest exertions ofhis knights, who in effecting it were every onekilled; and the boat down by the canal reached agalley, that conveyed the pair to the island ofRhodes. As for the few prisoners, they were calledup the next day and massacred, except twenty-fiveof the French leaders, from whom an enormousransom was expected . 2 And when the ransomcame, and the Duke of Nevers had an audience on

1 Yertot: vi. 330.

2 Annales Mediolensis ad annum 1395.—Andrea Gataro:Storia di Padova, ed. Muratori.—Bib. Crois., ii. 638.