7 8 THE HISTORY OE THE ORDER OF [book in.

out, and throw it into the fire; ” and inflamed withrage and indignation, levied an enormous army ofit is said three hundred thousand men, and puttinghimself at their head, advanced into Asia Minorwith the view of crushing the obstinate island,as ascribing invincibility to himself alone, andthat on none of his lieutenants, not even his best,would good fortune condescend to light, but onlyon his own proper person. 1 Yet in the small townof Nicomedia fell sick, his first real sickness, 2 anddied on the third of May, 1481, a new, terrible ex-ample of the ruling passion strong in death, sincethe frenzied tyrant dictated in a hurry to one of hisgrandees, to inscribe in Latin on his tomb, My in-tention was to take Rhodes, and subdue proud Italy;and then a moment before vomiting forth his soul(as is given on no common authority), shriekedout “ Rhodes , Rhodes , Rhodes ! ” 3

1 Bosio : par. ii., lib. xii.

2 Bouhours: Yie d’Aubusson, iv. 176.

3 Caoursinus.—Seb. Paoli : Osservazioni. ii. 553.—Bouhours :Yie d’Aubusson, iv. 177.— Theodoro Cantac Constant.—Ap-pendix, clxxvi.