12

THE HISTORY OF THE ORDER OF [ I)0 OK III.

time when the old system ended and the new be-gan, between the Greek fire and the sulphurycloud. The grand master’s words relative to theTurkish bombs and artificial lights, make usthink of our own bombardments, and congreverockets, and Bengal illuminations; “ bombardis etigne quo mirabiliartificioutuntur .” 1 Again Eugenius

directs himself to all the Christian poten-1441 , „ .

tates, beseeching ot them to assist the

Knights of Rhodes . 2 Nor did his Holiness notcontinue his benevolent exertions, but wrote toFrance, Germany, Spain, England, in the sametenor he uses in his brief to the priors, bailliffs, andKnights of Rhodes itself, to encourage their efforts . 3

The defeat of the Saracen invasion was so

1444

complete, that it is to these times somewriters refer the Piedmontese,. F. E. R. T. (thoughimproperly), and even the pigmy sovereign PresterJohn, King of Abyssinia, threatened Daher withgiving another direction to the Nile, and so de-stroying all Egypt, if he did not give over his hos-tilities against Christians, which, though perhapsno better than a rumour, is however repeated by

1 Cod. Dipl. Geros., ii., Hum. cii.

2 Id. : id. Id. oiii.

3 Id. : id. Id. cv.—Appendix, civ.