CHAP. II.]

ST. JOHN OF JERUSALEM.

325

his liberty, the fierce conqueror refused to accepthis word not to make war on him, and with theutmost pride exclaimed: “ On the contrary, thesooner the better; you will find me always pre-pared, and ready to win a second Mcopolis.” 1 TheChristians in truth lost the battle and twenty thou-sand men. In 1396 was thirty-fourth grand master,Sir Philip de Naillac, of Aquitain; and to ^gggreconcile all the extreme parties, it was thenthat Heredia died. 2

Haillac went to Rhodes, where his conciliatingmanners did much good; and thence sent trusty am-bassadors and agents, and one of the ablest knights,to prepare a desperate defence against a moreterrible than Bajazet; and the Tartar, not from fa-naticism (for of no religion was he, whatever thePersian pretend), but from sheer despotism, andbecause he wished to domineer over every othersovereign, and could not bear that not only GreekConstantinople, but also a small island, was defendedby the water from his authority, resolved to attackSmyrna, the rather that it had resisted the Turktriumphantly for years; and that a despoticpunctilio was uppermost in Timour’s mind is clear

1 Bosio : par. ii., lib. iv., anno 1397.—Froissart.—Michaud:Hist., v. 213.

2 Seb. 1’aoli : Serie, ii. 468.