ciiap. in.]

ST. JOHN OF JERUSALEM.

117

inhabitants of other countries will certainly smileat the solemnity with which the historian Bosiospeaks of the discovery of a little spring of freshwater in cutting the rock—spring of no greaterdimensions than a man’s thumb. But people whohave ever been there, will be nowise surprised; con-sidering its aridity even now.

On the 22nd September, 1566, Selim ascendedthe Ottoman throne, his father having died in Hun-gary, of which new sultan tidings reached Maltaon October 2nd, and were forwarded to Rome andVienna, who were ignorant of thefact(much more theother Christian capitals) except, what is worse, thatthe imperial ambassador at Venice had written to hismaster that there was a similar vague rumour—not to be traced to any good source. So Maltaat that time was the direct road for Levantnews to get to Europe; and it was Europe ratherthan any one else, that first named the nascenttown Valetta. It was the interest and care of allnations. All nations laboured to build it. It wasconsidered from the beginning as much theirs, asthe islanders’—a cosmopolitan city—the only one ofthat kind that perhaps ever existed from the foun-dations. The property of all the civilized people inthe world a thousand times more than of the, how-ever faithful, natives. 1

1 Bosio : par. iii., xxxlib. vii. 783.