200 THE HISTOEJT OE THE OEDEE OE [book iii.

nations. But all people then alive considered theKnights of Rhodes, as a body, to be far the bestsoldiers in Christendom.

The tyrant had at last changed his mind, and nolonger wished to seize what belonged to others, nordesired anything so much as to go away ; 1 not thathe divulged his sentiments by language, ratherstood like a dead man or statue, recollecting somany unhappy combats, so many gallant generalslost, so many soldiers whose blood he might havehusbanded for greater wars in Italy ; yet even afterthis there were some attempts made against thecity, but assaults there were none. There lay theroad quite open. No impediment of fortificationsany more. Who would, might take Rhodes . 2 Akind of calm succeeded; but still however theenemy continued in their trenches, and endeavouredby various instigations to persuade the Rhodiansto surrender, and separate their cause from that ofthe knights, saying their enmity was for the Latins;but that as to the Greeks, they might live happilyunder the sultan, like others of their nation, andeven tempted them with high bribes. But autumnsetting in, with its rains, thunders, and lightnings,inspired the Moslems on land with dismay, and thesea got too violent for their shipping. So the1 Fontanus: 365. 2 Id. : 366.