84 THE HISTORY OF THE ORDER OF [book IV

saint to them too; hovvbeit, it is recorded that on thatoccasion at least the Turks had the very samerejoicings as the Christians.

Well might it be that Yaletta had not time thenfor foreign correspondence. At all events, he wroteto a Spanish knight, Governor of Citta Yecchia, forhim to write to Toledo of St. Elmo’s fall; thatsuccours of all kinds were necessary, but that herelied chiefly on the order’s own, so to send instantlythe troops come with the four galleys, and instructshim how to act in case of a blockade ; also to writethe information touching St. Elmo to the other oftheir dignitaries not in Borgo. 1 Nevertheless,though Mesquitez performed all the grand master’sinjunctions exactly, the news of the fall of St. Elmowas sagaciously kept back until the arrival of whatis called the small succour, which was landed safelyin Malta on the 29th of June. 2

It reminds us of Rhodes, that here too the Turkendeavoured to estrange the Maltese from the order;but in truth succeeded no better than with theRhodians.

With this small succour came what may be termedthe cream or most valuable part of the whole: firstof all, the Commander, Parisot, the grand master’snephew—

1 Bosio : par. iii. 579.

2 Id.: id. iii. 582.