118 THE HISTORY OF THE ORDER OF [book iv,

Selim was then forty-three, and being addictedto wine, women, and all luxurious habits, was novaliant warrior like Solyman (the better for Chris-tendom), nor an irreconcileable enemy of the sacred,most illustrious Hospitallers. But no event dis-tracted the grand master from his usual most dili-gent assiduity respecting the growing city. Never-theless, not unmentioned must be the assassinationof his private secretary, a renowned knight, by abullet, in the dark, within a few paces of thepalace, as he was returning to his house, to the deepvexation and grief of Yaletta; who made many un-availing attempts to discover the murderer, whoseharquebuss indeed remained on the spot, but ledto nothing, being filed over with such care that itcould not possibly be identified. Not but Yalettahad to attend to all the order’s concerns, as well asto an agreement still extant, and then made with acorps of hired soldiers; where are observable :—1st. That the order kept usually three thousand ofsuch; 2nd. That they had what would be enormouspay at present—forty dollars a-month each—whichincluded sub-officers to be sure, and perhaps someof the very lowest officers likewise; but the restand all the supei’ior officers being Hospitallers, costnothing. Even the superior officers of whateverallies marched with him, were generally in the samecategory, and, as Hospitallers, cost nothing.