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38 THE HISTORY OF THE ORDER OF [book ill.

lie had been grand master in reality—in theaffections of his order. With as sincere and purejoy did the Rhodian population also light bonfiresfor his election. All dread of Mahomet vanished,since D’Aubusson was their sovereign. His namealone is sufficient eulogy. Eternal in the wholeChristian world. He but remounted towards hisancestral source; since if raised to a throne, hishouse had occupied many thrones—not omittingDukes of Normandy, and Kings of Saxon England . 1He had been a soldier from his boyhood, but culti-vated letters too; and in his early campaigns inHungary, had become a Knight Hospitaller . 2 Oneof his first acts, was to put himself at the head of abody of cavalry, and visit the whole island—leisurely, inquisitive review, and scarce back intothe city, when he directed a circular to the GrandPrior of France, and every other prior, command-ers, knights, and all members of the order, tohasten to join him at Rhodes, and participate in thedefence against the Turks, who were making allimaginable preparations to invade that island . 3

Nor was he not anew supplicated to accept the

1 Seb. Paoli : Scrie, ii. 470.— Caoursinus.—Codgia Effendi.—Bayle.

2 Bouhours : "Vie D’Aubusson, i. 16.

3 Cod. Dipl. Greros., ii., Num. cxxii.—Appendix, clxvii.

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