240 THE HISTORY OF THE ORDER OF |boOK III.

And still more horrible, the grand master’s owngalley (for he had kept with the people), and theother galleys Avith him, which had been driven offScarpanto, shared the like tremendous danger, andtarried; but by the Divine assistance, in ten moredays their small hulls, with Avide Lateen sails, aftergreat struggles, and many losses, arrived.

On their arrival, the grand master made themuster, and to four thousand amounted the Rho-dians, or similar from its islets, who, flying theimpious cruelty of the Turks, preferred being hisfollowers into exile over the dangerous frightfulsea in that tremendous season; nor in the fourthousand are included any of the soldiers in theorder’s pay, or any one in their hire. The noivpoor Rhodians Avere the principal nobility, gentry,and citizens, all reduced to subsist on the charityof the order; most of them having lost not only alltheir landed property, but even the few things theyhad been able in the flurry to bring from Rhodes;so that few had noiv even a change of clothes, theirtrunks having gone overboard in the disastrouspassage through stormy seas, considered hardlynavigable in winter. Many were most miserablyclad, and half naked, trembling Avith cold andhunger; so that the grand master had to dole outalms to them, as he did, putting with his OAvn