258 THE HISTORY OF THE ORDER OF [book hi.

We sailed for Pozzuolo; but fear of the plague(which had indeed broken out at Messina, andsummoned off several of the knights) made the in-habitants refuse to let us land, Nor did the dis-consolate grand master well know whither to go,ready for any spot where he might be properlypurified, and then towards Tyber . 1 So two havingdied on board his own ship, we were forced to haverecourse to Baia, near wdiich we remained twenty-six days in strict quarantine . 2 Into Baia itself wecould not venture—the Prior of Navarre havingdied of the plague the very day we arrived off itsmouth. Where we were not allowed at first; andwhen it was left to the conscience of the grandmaster, he of course refused to land . 3 Finallyallotted to us were the Cumaean Sybill’s caves, abouttwo miles from any town; and we had to live onprovisions procured from Naples or Pozzuolo, andthey were distributed by a knight who had beentribune of the soldiery during the siege of Rhodes;and to keep off robbers were forced to surroundour little camp with light artillery from our galleys,as if facing the enemy. Purification of the ships;all the clothes of the poor Rhodians burned, andclad anew at the order’s expense. Every suspicion

1 Bosio: par. iii., lib. i. 16. 2 Bourbon: 30.

3 Id.: par. iii., lib. i. 17.