CIIAP. III.]

ST. JOHN OF JERUSALEM.

of three hundred marks . 1 The Order also receivedembassies of sympathy, of which one was fromthe King of England, by the Lord Scroope, then ofthe lords of the council, as his ambassador , 2 when afar worse enemy than the Turks singly—the Turksleagued with the Saracens—-were on the point ofinvading the island; which, from its position betweenthem, had for policy, never to be at direct warfarewith both at a time. Rarely did Turk and Saracenscoalesce. And now, as at war with the Turks, itwould willingly have been at peace with Egypt.And, indeed, the Saracen, at the same time that heruined the baillyhood of the order, at Cy-prus, seized its king and kept him in fetters,requiring so vast a ransom that, but for the Knightsof Rhodes, who gave him money to pay it, theunfortunate Lusignan would have remained inslavery his entire life. Still, though he pretendedto renew the late Grand Master Naillac’s treaty , 3 thenot veracit Daher was determined to assail Rhodes,since taking it, Cyprus would fall of itself. Thisintelligence, which Sir Anthony had from his trustyspies at Cairo,made him write a circular, calling

1435

1 Cod. Dipl. Geros., ii., Num. xeviii,—Bosio : par. ii., lib. v.,anno 1433.

2 Cod. Dipl. Geros., ii., Hum. xcix_Appendix, clii.

3 Id., id., Id., lxxxri.