ClIAP. IV.]

ST. JOHN OF JERUSALEM.

73

to tear to pieces, so extravagantly were theyattached to him. Not that the Rhodians were san-guinary, far from it; but it was the enthusiasm ofenraged love for their protector . 1

Nor when the siege was over did he neglect toindemnify every one of them for their losses duringit, as far as money or his ability could in any waygo; and distributed abundance of corn, andexempted all the people of Rhodes in a body fromevery sort of subsidy and taxation for severalyears ; 2 and in commemoration of the victory, hebuilt two magnificent churches, one for the Latins,and the other for the Greeks , 3 for the Rhodiansaffirmed that their ancestors (whose example theywere resolved to follow), had refused ever swerv-ing from the decision of the Council of Florence , 4when Greek and Latin were for a moment united.So are called devout Catholics by Bosio, who musthave meant the word in its primitive sense of uni-versal; for otherwise he would probably have Ro-man Catholics. Be that as it may, there was avery friendly understanding between the twoChurches. At first the selectest Rhodian was

1 Boubours: Vie d’Aubusson, iii. 135.

2 Id. : Id., iii. 171.

3 Id.: Id., iii. 168.

4 Bosio : par. ii., lib. xii.—Platina : iii. 344,