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THE HISTORY OF THE ORDER OF [book ill.

“ Sir Philip Villiers de L’Isle Adam to the Turk."

“ Rightly have I understood what your ambassadorpresented. Your friendship is as pleasing to meas displeasing to Cortupolo, who tried to captureme on my voyage from France, not thinking Ishould have ventured into the Rhodian sea bynight; so, in his rage at missing me, he endeavouredto kidnap some Venetian merchantmen, but hadto fly from the ships that rushed from my port, andeven leave behind him what he had robbed fromthe men of Candia. Good health to you !” 1

In some places the year ended then on the 24th,and began on 25th of March; so this correspondence,though in the same March, was in different years.

The Turk’s reply, in a similar tone, 2 was accom-panied by an attempt to inveigle a knight ordignitary of the order, as ambassador; and evenselected the individual. But L’lsle Adam interposed1522 a re ^ usa ^ 3 Ramadan—Solyman’s physicianwandering and partial to his master, as Ter-cier observes, and as is natural in an Arab—says theSultan’s idea was to drive away the knights underwhom the Rhodians were becoming a maritime

1 Cod. Dipl. Geros., ii., Hum. clix.—Appendix, clxxxix.

2 Id. : id. Id. elx.—Appendix, cxc.

3 Fontanus : 347.