chap, v.] ST. JOHN OH JERUSALEM. 121

denly, struck the grand master with such horror,that it went within an aim’s ace of killing him onthe spot; and he required an exertion of his wholeremaining strength to recover from the shock. 1 Intruth, he seems never to have recovered from itcompletely. The loss of one infinitely dear to him,and the disgrace fallen on all Christendom,ulcerated his wounded tenderness. A sort of death-blow; at his time of life, how expect him to rally?Yet had he various consolations, if such can existin his situation. On the King of France retreatingfrom Italy, the then emperor refrained from at-tacking him until he should have D’Aubusson’sassent, for which purpose he despatched an am-bassador to Rhodes. Much more, he refused todeclare war on the Turk without consulting thegreat hero, of whom all Christendom was proud.As a token of respect, a little later it must havepleased D’Aubusson that the King of England sentan ambassador with an extremely flattering letterand very nice present of various pieces of the mostbeautiful artillery, and several riding horses, ex-traordinarily rare in their kind, and highly prized,as very nobly bred and gentle, from the island ofIreland , and called Eburi. “ The cannons for thedefence of Rhodes, and particularly the English1 Bouhours : Yie D’Aubusson, vi. 295.