198 THE HISTORY OF THE ORDER OF [book iv.

of getting a Spaniard, the Prince de la Paix, Godoy,made grand master; but if so, it soon evaporated.And on the contrary. There were councils and in-sane meetings without number. Day nor night wasthere a moment’s quiet; hut every one went roamingand blustering about. Except indeed some; and theterrified women, who kept pining in comers. IfHompesch retained his principles, he did not dareavow them. The reverse, and that he was ratherin favour of the revolution, was the vulgar opinion.There were multitudes of extravagant play. AnItalian knight astonished the elder members of thecouncil by expressing at length what he hesitatedto propose till called upon by the public voice.

“ Seeing that our finances are going to utter ruinwith a velocity increasing every horn'; nor do I foran instant object to our maintaining the threeFrench. Languages, for it is our bomiden duty aftertheir having lost all in Prance; seeing nothing in thesequarters but ruin, and that similar dangers threatenall Europe, is it not better for us to leave thisregion of despair, to gather all we can of our move-able property, and sail off? Nor do I mean towardsRussia, or any part of Europe, nor any island in theAsian division of the Mediterranean, where weshould he soon followed, and subjected to every sortof persecution. Yet England forms an exception,