288 THE HISTORY OF THE ORDER OF [book IV.

tune, 1 avowed it in 1533. Thanks for the knights

1533 succourin S Coron, was only presage to itsloss. 2 England had almost as much right

in L’lsle Adam, as France, for if born when Nor-mandy was French, yet was he of the old Normanrace, and nearly allied to the English sovereigns. 3Few the months he lived after this disturbance.

1534 ^ ie on t° m bstone is August 22nd,1534, being that of his solemn funeral, but

his insides had been buried the day before by hisfaithful French auditor. 4 L’lsle Adam on hisdeath-bed had recommended his knights to electSir A. del Ponte for his successor; as in truth theydid, and Sir Richard Brown was the Englishdeputy at that election. Del Ponte was a literaryman and eloquent. Celebrities of every descrip-tion were knights of Malta, as Bembo, the historianof Venice, and Ponce de Leon, the Spanishwarrior; 5 like the Florentine Strozzis and Doriasof Genoa. Instead of joy at his own election, DelPonte wept at thinking how much the order hadlost. Of an ancient family in Asti, Del Ponte was

1 Cod. Dipt. Geros., ii., Num. clxxxi.

2 Id., ii., Id. clxxxiii.

3 Pantaleone, x.—MS.—Lodge: Ireland, iy. 77.

4 Seb. Paoli: Serie, ii. 473.

5 Bosio : par. ii. 135.—139.