a celebrated island in the Archipelago, Anciently known in ancient times by the names of Asteria, Ophiusa, Ethrea, Trinacria, Corymbia, Poecila, Atabyria, Marcia, Oloefa, Studia, Telchinia, Pelagia, and Rhodur. In later ages, the name of Rhodes, or Rhodes, prevailed, from the Greek word rhodon, as is commonly supposed, signifying a "rose;" the island abounding very much with these flowers. Others, however, give different etymologies, among which it is difficult to find one preferable to another. It is about 20 miles distant from the coasts of Lycia and Caria, and about 120 miles in compass.

Several ancient authors assert, that Rhodes was formerly covered by the sea, but gradually raised its head above the waves, and became an island. Delos and Rhodes (says Pliny), islands which have long been celebrated, sprung at first from the sea. The same fact is supported by such a variety of other evidence as render it indubitable. Philo also attributes the event to the decrease of the waters of the ocean. If his conjecture be not without foundation, most of the isles of the Archipelago, being lower than Rhodes, must have had a similar origin. But it is much more probable that the volcanic fires, which in the fourth year of the 13th Olympiad, raised Thera and Thera, known at present by the name of Santorin, from the depths of the sea, and have in our days thrown out several small islands adjacent, also produced in some ancient era Rhodes and Delos.

The first inhabitants of Rhodes, according to Dionysius Siculus, were called the Telchines, who came originally from the island of Crete. These, by their skill in astrology, perceiving that the island was soon to be drowned with water, left their habitations, and made room for the Heliades, or grandsons of Phoebus, who took possession of the island after that god had cleared it from the water and mud with which it was overwhelmed. These Heliades, it seems, excelled all other men in learning, and especially in astrology; invented navigation, &c. In after ages, however, being infested with great serpents which bred in the island, they had recourse to an oracle in Delos, which advised them to admit Phorbas, a Thessalian, with his followers, into Rhodes. This was accordingly done; and Phorbas having destroyed the serpents, was, after his death, honoured as a demigod. Afterwards a colony of Cretans settled in some part of the island, and a little before the Trojan war, Tlepolemus the son of Hercules, who was made king of the whole island, and governed with great justice and moderation.

After the Trojan war, all the ancient inhabitants were driven out by the Dorians, who continued to be masters of the island for many ages. The government was at first monarchical; but a little before the expedition tion of Xerxes into Greece, a republican form of government was introduced; during which the Rhodians applied themselves to navigation, and became very powerful by sea, planting several colonies in distant countries. In the time of the Peloponnesian war, the republic of Rhodes was rent into two factions, one of which favoured the Athenians, and another the Spartans; but at length the latter prevailing, democracy was abolished, and an aristocracy introduced. About 351 B.C. we find the Rhodians oppressed by Mausolus king of Caria, and at last reduced by Artemisia his widow. In this emergency, they applied to the Athenians, by whose affluence, probably, they regained their liberty.

From this time to that of Alexander the Great, the Rhodians enjoyed an uninterrupted tranquillity. To him they voluntarily submitted; and were on that account highly favoured by him: but no sooner did they hear of his death, than they drove out the Macedonian garrisons, and once more became a free people. About this time happened a dreadful inundation at Rhodes; which being accompanied with violent storms of rain, and hailstones of an extraordinary bigness, beat down many houses, and killed great numbers of the inhabitants. As the city was built in the form of an amphitheatre, and no care had been taken to clear the pipes and conduits which conveyed the water into the sea, the lower parts of the city were in an instant laid under water, several houses quite covered, and the inhabitants drowned before they could get to the higher places. As the deluge increased, and the violent showers continued, some of the inhabitants made to their ships, and abandoned the place, while others miserably perished in the waters. But while the city was thus threatened with utter destruction, the wall on a sudden burst asunder, and the water discharging itself by a violent current into the sea, unexpectedly delivered the inhabitants from all danger.

The Rhodians suffered greatly by this unexpected accident, but soon retrieved their losses by a close application to trade. During the wars which took place among the successors of Alexander, the Rhodians observed a strict neutrality; by which means they enriched themselves so much, that Rhodes became one of the most opulent states of that age; infomuch that, for the common good of Greece, they undertook the piratic war, and, at their own charge, cleared the seas of the pirates who had for many years infested the coasts of Europe and Asia. However, notwithstanding the neutrality they professed, as the most advantageous branches of their commerce were derived from Egypt, they were more attached to Ptolemy, king of that country, than to any of the neighbouring princes. When therefore Antigonus, having engaged in a war with Ptolemy about the island of Cyprus, demanded succours of them, they earnestly intreated him not to compel them to declare war against their ancient friend and ally. But this answer, prudent as it was, drew upon them the displeasure of Antigonus, who immediately ordered one of his admirals to sail with his fleet to Rhodes, and seize all the ships that came out of the harbour for Egypt. The Rhodians, finding their harbour blocked up by the fleet of Antigonus, equipped a good number of galleys, fell upon the enemy, and obliged him, with the loss of many ships, to quit his station. Hereupon Antigonus, charging them as aggressors, and beginning of an unjust war, threatened to besiege their city with the strength of his whole army. The Rhodians endeavoured by frequent embassies to appease his wrath; but all their remonstrances served rather to provoke than allay his resentment: and the only terms upon which he would hearken to any accommodation were, that the Rhodians should declare war against Ptolemy, that they should admit his fleet into their harbour, and that an hundred of the chief citizens should be delivered up to him as hostages for the performance of these articles. The Rhodians sent ambassadors to all their allies, and to Ptolemy in particular, imploring their affluence, and representing to the latter, that their attachment to his interest had drawn upon them the danger to which they were exposed. The preparations on both sides were immense. As Antigonus was near four score years of Rhodes' age at that time, he committed the whole management of the war to his son Demetrius, who appeared before the city of Rhodes with 200 ships of war, 170 transports having on board 40,000 men, and 1000 other vessels laden with provisions and all sorts of warlike engines. As Rhodes had enjoyed for many years a profound tranquillity, and been free from all devastations, the expectation of booty, in the plunder of so wealthy a city, allure multitudes of pirates and mercenaries to join Demetrius in this expedition; infomuch that the whole sea between the continent and the island was covered with ships: which struck the Rhodians, who had a prospect of this mighty armament from the walls, with great terror and consternation.

Demetrius, having landed his troops without the reach of the enemy's machines, detached several small bodies to lay waste the country round the city, and cut down the trees and groves, employing the timber, and materials of the houses without the walls, to fortify his camp with a strong rampart and a triple palisade; which work, as many hands were employed, was finished in a few days. The Rhodians, on their part, prepared for a vigorous defence. Many great commanders, who had distinguished themselves on other occasions, threw themselves into the city, being deposed to try their skill in military affairs against Demetrius, who was reputed one of the most experienced captains in the conduct of sieges that antiquity had produced. The besieged began with dismissing from the city all such persons as were useless; and then taking an account of those who were capable of bearing arms, they found that the citizens amounted to 6000, and the foreigners to 1000. Liberty was promised to all the slaves who should distinguish themselves by any glorious action, and the public engaged to pay their masters their full ransom. A proclamation was likewise made, declaring, that whoever died in defence of their country should be buried at the expense of the public; that his parents and children should be maintained out of the treasury; that fortunes should be given to his daughters; and his sons, when they were grown up, should be crowned and presented with a complete suit of armour at the great solemnity of Bacchus; which decree kindled an incredible ardour in all ranks of men.

Demetrius, having planted all his engines, began to batter with incredible fury the walls on the side of the harbour; but was for eight days successively repulsed by the besieged, who set fire to most of his warlike engines. Rhodes, and thereby obliged him to allow them some reprieve, which they made good use of in repairing the breaches, and building new walls where the old ones were either weak or low. When Demetrius had repaired his engines, he ordered a general assault to be made, and caused his troops to advance with loud shouts, thinking by this means to strike terror into the enemy. But the besieged were so far from being intimidated, that they repulsed the aggressors with great slaughter, and performed the most astonishing feats of bravery. Demetrius returned to the assault next day; but was in the same manner forced to retire, after having lost a great number of men, and some officers of distinction. He had seized, at his first landing, an eminence at a small distance from the city; and, having fortified this advantageous post, he caused several batteries to be erected there, with engines, which incessantly discharged against the walls stones of 150 pounds weight. The towers, being thus furiously battered night and day, began to totter, and several breaches were opened in the walls; but the Rhodians, unexpectedly falling out, drove the enemy from their post, overturned their machines, and made a most dreadful havoc; infomuch that some of them retired on board their vessels, and were with difficulty prevailed upon to come ashore again.

Demetrius now ordered a scalade by sea and land at the same time; and so employed the besieged, that they were at a loss what place they should chiefly defend. The attack was carried on with the utmost fury on all sides, and the besieged defended themselves with the greatest intrepidity. Such of the enemy as advanced first were thrown down from the ladders, and miserably bruised. Several of the chief officers, having mounted the walls to encourage the soldiers by their example, were there either killed or taken prisoners. After the combat had lasted many hours, with great slaughter on both sides, Demetrius, notwithstanding all his valour, thought it necessary to retire, in order to repair his engines, and give his men some days rest.

Demetrius being sensible that he could not reduce the city till he was master of the port, after having refreshed his men, he returned with new vigour against the fortifications which defended the entry into the harbour. When he came within the cast of a dart, he caused a vast quantity of burning torches and firebrands to be thrown into the Rhodian ships, which were riding there; and at the same time galled, with dreadful showers of darts, arrows, and stones, such as offered to extinguish the flames. However, in spite of their utmost efforts, the Rhodians put a stop to the fire; and, having with great expedition manned three of their strongest ships, drove with such violence against the vessels on which the enemy's machines were planted, that they were shattered in pieces, and the engines dismounted and thrown into the sea. Exebeus the Rhodian admiral, being encouraged by this success, attacked the enemy's fleet with his three ships, and sunk a great many vessels; but was himself at last taken prisoner: the other two vessels made their escape, and regained the port.

As unfortunate as this last attack had proved to Demetrius, he determined to undertake another; and, in order to succeed in his attempt, he ordered a machine of a new invention to be constructed, which was thrice the height and breadth of those he had lately lost. When the work was finished, he caused the engine to be placed near the port, which he was resolved, at all adventures, to force. But as it was upon the point of entering the harbour, a dreadful storm arising, drove it against the shore, with the vessels on which it had been reared. The besieged, who were attentive to improve all favourable conjunctures, while the tempest was still raging, made a fall against those who defended the eminence mentioned above; and, though repulsed several times, carried it at last, obliging the Demetrians, to the number of 400, to throw down their arms and submit. After this victory gained by the Rhodians, there arrived to their aid 150 Gnostians, and 500 men sent by Ptolemy from Egypt, most of them being natives of Rhodes, who had served among the king's troops.

Demetrius being extremely mortified to see all his batteries against the harbour rendered ineffectual, resolved to employ them by land, in hopes of carrying the city by assault, or at least reducing it to the necessity of capitulating. With this view, having got together a vast quantity of timber and other materials, he framed the famous engine called helopolis, which was by many degrees larger than any that had ever been invented before. Its basis was square, each side being in length near 50 cubits, and made up of square pieces of timber, bound together with plates of iron. In the middle part he placed thick planks, about a cubit distance from each other; and on these the men were to stand who forced the engine forward. The whole was moved upon eight strong and large wheels, whose fellows were strengthened with strong iron plates. In order to facilitate and vary the movements of the helopolis, cafters were placed under it, whereby it was turned in an instant to what side the workmen and engineers pleased. From each of the four angles a large pillar of wood was carried to about the height of 100 cubits, and inclining to each other; the whole machine consisting of nine stories, whose dimensions gradually lessened in the ascent. The first story was supported by 43 beams, and the last by no more than nine. Three sides of the machine were plated over with iron, to prevent its being damaged by the fire that might be thrown from the city. In the front of each story were windows of the same size and shape as the engines that were to be discharged from thence. To each window were shutters, to draw up for the defence of those who managed the machines, and to deaden the force of the stones thrown by the enemy, the shutters being covered with skins stuffed with wool. Every story was furnished with two large staircases, that whatever was necessary might be brought up by one, while others were going down by the other, and so every thing may be dispatched without tumult or confusion. This huge machine was moved forwards by 3000 of the strongest men of the whole army; but the art with which it was built greatly facilitated the motion. Demetrius caused likewise to be made several tetudoes or pent-houses, to cover his men while they advanced to fill up the trenches and ditches; and invented a new sort of galleries, through which those who were employed at the siege might pass and repass at their pleasure, without the least danger. He employed all his seamen in levelling the ground over which the machines machines were to be brought up, to the space of four furlongs. The number of workmen who were employed on this occasion amounted to 30,000.

In the mean time, the Rhodians, observing these formidable preparations, were busy in raising a new wall within that which the enemy intended to batter with the helepolis. In order to accomplish this work, they pulled down the wall which surrounded the theatre, some neighbouring houses, and even some temples, after having solemnly promised to build more magnificent structures in honour of the gods, if the city were preserved. At the same time, they sent out nine of their best ships to seize such of the enemy's vessels as they could meet with, and thereby distress them for want of provisions. As these ships were commanded by their bravest sea-officers, they soon returned with an immense booty, and a great many prisoners. Among other vessels, they took a galley richly laden, on board of which they found a great variety of valuable furniture, and a royal robe, which Phila herself had wrought and sent as a present to her husband Demetrius, accompanied with a letter written with her own hand. The Rhodians sent the furniture, the royal robe, and even the letter, to Ptolemy; which exasperated Demetrius to a great degree.

While Demetrius was preparing to attack the city, the Rhodians having assembled the people and magistrates to consult about the measures they should take, some proposed in the assembly the pulling down of the statues of Antigonus and his son Demetrius, which till then had been held in the utmost veneration. But this proposal was generally rejected with indignation, and their prudent conduct greatly allayed the wrath both of Antigonus and Demetrius. However, the latter continued to carry on the siege with the utmost vigour, thinking it would reflect no small dishonour on him were he obliged to quit the place without making himself master of it. He caused the walls to be secretly undermined; but, when they were ready to fall, a deserter very opportunely gave notice of the whole to the townsmen; who having, with all expedition, drawn a deep trench all along the wall, began to countermine, and, meeting the enemy under ground, obliged them to abandon the work. While both parties guarded the mines, one Athenagoras a Milesian, who had been sent to the assistance of the Rhodians by Ptolemy with a body of mercenaries, promised to betray the city to the Demetrians, and let them in through the mines in the night-time. But this was only in order to ensnare them; for Alexander, a noble Macedonian, whom Demetrius had sent with a choice body of troops to take possession of a post agreed on, no sooner appeared, but he was taken prisoner by the Rhodians, who were waiting for him under arms.—Athenagoras was crowned by the senate with a crown of gold, and presented with five talents of silver.

Demetrius now gave over all thoughts of undermining the walls, and placed all his hopes of reducing the city in the battering engines which he had contrived. Having therefore levelled the ground under the walls he brought up his helepolis, with four teudoes on each side of it. Two other teudoes of an extraordinary size, bearing battering-rams, were likewise moved forward by a thousand men. Each story of the helepolis was filled with all sorts of engines for discharging of stones, arrows, and darts. When all things were ready, Demetrius ordered the signal to be given; when his men, setting up a shout, assaulted the city on all sides both by sea and land. But, in the heat of the attack, when the walls were ready to fall by the repeated strokes of the battering-rams, ambassadors arrived from Cnidus, earnestly soliciting Demetrius to suspend all further hostilities, and at the same time giving him hopes that they should prevail upon the Rhodians to submit to an honourable capitulation. A suspension of arms was accordingly agreed on, and ambassadors sent from both sides. But the Rhodians refusing to capitulate on the conditions offered them, the attack was renewed with so much fury, and the machines played off in so brisk a manner, that a large tower built with square stones, and the wall that flanked it, were battered down. The besieged, nevertheless, fought in the breach with so much courage and resolution, that the enemy, after various unsuccessful attempts, were forced to abandon the enterprise, and retire.

In this conjuncture, a fleet which Ptolemy had freighted with 300,000 measures of corn, and different kinds of pulse for the use of the Rhodians, arrived very seasonably in the port, notwithstanding the provisions, vigilance of the enemy's ships, which cruised on the and fed the coasts of the island to surprise them. A few days after came in safe two other fleets, one sent by Caesar, another by Lydamachus, with 400,000 bushels of corn and as many of barley. This seasonable and plentiful supply arriving when the city began to suffer for want of provisions, inspired the besieged with new courage, and raised their drooping spirits. Being thus animated, they formed a design of setting the enemy's engines on fire; and with this view ordered a body of men to fall out the night ensuing, about the second watch, with torches and firebrands, having first placed on the walls an incredible number of engines, to discharge stones, arrows, darts, and fire-balls, against those who should attempt to oppose their detachment. The Rhodian troops, pursuant to their orders, all on a sudden fell out, and advancing, in spite of all opposition, to the batteries, set them on fire, while the engines from the walls played incessantly on those who endeavoured to extinguish the flames. The Demetrians on this occasion fell in great numbers, being incapable, in the darkness of the night, either to see the engines that continually discharged showers of stones and arrows upon them, or to join in one body and repulse the enemy. The confusion was so great, that several plates of iron falling from the helepolis, that vast engine would have been entirely consumed, had not the troops that were stationed in it with all possible speed quenched the fire with water, before prepared, and ready in the apartments of the engine against such accidents. Demetrius, fearing lest all his machines should be consumed, called together, by sound of trumpet, those whose province it was to move them; and, by their help, brought them off before they were entirely destroyed. When it was day, he commanded all the darts and arrows that had been shot by the Rhodians to be carefully gathered, that he might from their number form some judgment of the number of machines in the city. Above 800 firebrands were found on the spot, and no fewer than... than 1500 darts, all discharged in a very small portion of the night. This struck the prince himself with no small terror; for he never imagined that they would have been able to bear the charges of such formidable preparations. However, after having caused the slain to be buried, and given directions for the curing of the wounded, he applied himself to the repairing of his machines, which had been dismounted and rendered quite unserviceable.

In the mean time, the besieged, improving the respite allowed them by the removal of the machines, built a third wall in the form of a crecent, which took in all that part that was most exposed to the enemy's batteries; and, besides, drew a deep trench behind the breach, to prevent the enemy from entering the city that way. At the same time, they detached a squadron of their best ships, under the command of Amyntas, who made over to the continent of Asia; and there meeting with some privateers who were commissioned by Demetrius, took both the ships and the men, among whom were Timotheus the chief of the pirates, and several other officers of distinction belonging to the fleet of Demetrius. On their return, they fell in with several vessels laden with corn for the enemy's camp, which they likewise took, and brought into the port. These were soon followed by a numerous fleet of small vessels loaded with corn and provisions sent them by Ptolemy, together with 1500 men, commanded by Antigonus a Macedonian of great experience in military affairs.—Demetrius, in the mean time, having repaired his machines, brought them up anew to the walls; which he incessantly battered till he opened a great breach and threw down several towers. But when he came to the assault, the Rhodians, under the command of Amias, defended themselves with such resolution and intrepidity, that he was in three successive attacks repulsed with great slaughter, and at last forced to retire. The Rhodians likewise, on this occasion, lost several officers; and amongst others, the brave Amias their commander.

While the Rhodians were thus signalizing themselves in the defence of their country, a second embassy arrived at the camp of Demetrius from Athens and the other cities of Greece, soliciting Demetrius to compose matters, and strike up a peace with the Rhodians. At the request of the ambassadors, who were in all above 50, a cessation of arms was agreed upon; but the terms offered by Demetrius being again rejected by the Rhodians, the ambassadors returned home without being able to bring the contending parties to an agreement. Hostilities were therefore renewed; and Demetrius, whose imagination was fertile in expedients for succeeding in his projects, formed a detachment of 1500 of his best troops, under the conduct of Alcimus and Mancius, two officers of great resolution and experience, ordering them to enter the breach at midnight, and, forcing the entrenchment behind it, to possess themselves of the posts about the theatre, where it would be no difficult matter to maintain themselves against any efforts of the townsmen. In order to facilitate the execution of so important and dangerous an undertaking, and amuse the enemy with false attacks, he at the same time, upon a signal given, ordered the rest of the army to set up a shout, and attack the town on all sides both by sea and land. By this means he hoped that, the besieged being alarmed in all parts, Rhodes, his detachment might find an opportunity of forcing the entrenchments which covered the breach, and afterwards of seizing the advantageous post about the theatre. This feint had all the success the prince could expect; for the troops having set up a shout from all quarters, as if they were advancing to a general assault, the detachment commanded by Alcimus and Mancius entered the breach, and fell upon those who defended the ditch, and the wall that covered it, with such vigour, that, having slain the most part of them and put the rest in confusion, they advanced to the theatre, and seized on the post adjoining to it. This occasioned a general uproar in the city, as if it had been already taken: but the commanding officers dispatched orders to the soldiers on the ramparts not to quit their posts, nor stir from their respective stations. Having thus secured the walls, they put themselves at the head of a chosen body of their own troops, and of those who were lately come from Egypt, and with these charged the enemy's detachment. But the darkness of the night prevented them from dislodging the enemy and regaining the advantageous posts they had seized. Day, however, no sooner appeared, than they renewed their attack with wonderful bravery. The Demetrians without the walls, with loud shouts endeavoured to animate those who had entered the place, and inspire them with resolution to maintain their ground till they were relieved with fresh troops. The Rhodians being sensible that their fortunes, liberties, and all that was dear to them in the world, lay at stake, fought like men in the utmost despair, the enemy defending their posts for several hours without giving ground in the least. At length the Rhodians, encouraging each other to exert themselves in defence of their country, and animated by the example of their leaders, made a last effort, and, breaking into the very heart of the enemy's battalion, there killed both their commanders. After their death there were easily put in disorder, and all to a man killed or either killed or taken prisoners. The Rhodians likewise taken on this occasion lost many of their best commanders; and among the rest Damotetis, their chief magistrate, a man of extraordinary valour, who had signalized himself during the whole time of the siege.

Demetrius, not at all discouraged by this check, was making the necessary preparations for a new assault, when he received letters from his father Antigonus, enjoining him to conclude a peace with the Rhodians upon the best terms he could get, lest he should lose his whole army in the siege of a single town. From this time Demetrius wanted only some plausible pretence for breaking up the siege. The Rhodians likewise were now more inclined to come to an agreement than formerly; Ptolemy having acquainted them that he intended to send a great quantity of corn, and 3000 men to their assistance, but that he would first have them try whether they could make up matters with Demetrius upon reasonable terms. At the same time ambassadors arrived from the Aetolian republic, soliciting the contending parties to put an end to a war which might involve all the east in endless calamities.

An accident which happened to Demetrius in this conjuncture, did not a little contribute towards the polis ren-advance his heliopolis against the city, when a Rhodian engineer engineer found means to render it quite useless. He undermined the tract of ground over which the helepolis was to pass the next day in order to approach the walls. Demetrius not suspecting any stratagem of this nature, caused the engine to be moved forward, which coming to the place that was undermined, sunk so deep into the ground that it was impossible to draw it out again. This misfortune, if we believe Vegetius and Vitruvius, determined Demetrius to hearken to the Ætolian ambassadors, and at last to strike up a peace upon the following conditions: That the republic of Rhodes should be maintained in the full enjoyment of their ancient rights, privileges, and liberties, without any foreign garrison; that they should renew their ancient alliance with Antigonus, and assist him in his wars against all states and princes except Ptolemy king of Egypt; and that, for the effectual performance of the articles stipulated between them, they should deliver 100 hostages, such as Demetrius should make choice of, except those who bore any public employment.

Thus was the siege raised, after it had continued a whole year; and the Rhodians amply rewarded all those who had distinguished themselves in the service of their country. They also set up statues to Ptolemy, Cassander, and Lysimachus; to all of whom they paid the highest honours, especially to the first, whom they worshipped as a god. Demetrius at his departure presented them with the helepolis, and all the other machines which he had employed in battering the city; from the sale of which, with some additional sums of their own, they erected the famous colossus. After this they applied themselves entirely to trade and navigation; by which means they became quite masters of the sea, and much more opulent than any of the neighbouring nations. As far as lay in their power, they endeavoured to preserve a neutrality with regard to the jarring nations of the east. However, they could not avoid a war with the Byzantines, the occasion of which was as follows: The Byzantines being obliged to pay a yearly tribute of 80 talents to the Gauls, in order to raise this sum, they came to a resolution of laying a toll on all ships that traded to the Pontic sea. This resolution provoked the Rhodians, who were a trading nation, above all the rest. For this reason they immediately dispatched ambassadors to the Byzantines, complaining of the new tax; but as the Byzantines had no other method of satisfying the Gauls, they persisted in their resolution. The Rhodians now declared war, and prevailed upon Prusias king of Bithynia, and Attalus king of Pergamus, to assist them; by which confederacy the Byzantines were so intimidated, that they agreed to exact no toll from ships trading to the Pontic sea, the demand which had been the occasion of the war.

About this time happened a dreadful earthquake, which threw down the colossus, the arsenal, and great part of the city walls of Rhodes; which calamity the Rhodians improved to their advantage, sending ambassadors to all the Grecian princes and states, to whom their losses were so much exaggerated, that their countrymen obtained immense sums of money under pretence of repairing them. Hiero king of Syracuse presented them with 100 talents; and, besides, exempted from all tolls and duties such as traded to Rhodes. Ptolemy king of Egypt gave them 100 talents, a million of measures of wheat, materials for building 20 quinqueremes and the like number of triremes; and, besides, sent them 100 architects, 300 workmen, and materials for repairing their public buildings, to a great value, paying them moreover 14 talents a-year for the maintenance of the workmen whom he sent them. Antigonus gave them 100 talents of silver, with 10,000 pieces of timber, each piece being 16 cubits long; 7000 planks; 3000 pounds of iron, as many of pitch and rosin, and 1000 measures of tar. Chryseis, a woman of distinction, sent them 100,000 measures of wheat, and 3000 pounds of lead. Antiochus exempted from all taxes and duties the Rhodian ships trading to his dominions; presented them with 10 galleys, and 200,000 measures of corn, with many other things of great value. Prusias, Mithridates, and all the princes then reigning in Asia, made them proportionable presents: in short, all the Greek towns and nations, all the princes of Europe and Asia, contributed, according to their ability, to the relief of the Rhodians on that occasion; insomuch that their city not only soon arose from its ruins, but attained to an higher pitch of splendour than ever.

In the year 203 B.C. the Rhodians engaged in a war with Philip of Macedon. This monarch had invaded the territories of Attalus king of Pergamus; and because the Rhodians seemed to favour their ancient friend, sent one Heraclides, by birth a Tarentine, to set fire to their fleet; at the same time that he dispatched ambassadors into Crete, in order to stir up the Cretans against the Rhodians, and prevent them from sending any assistance to Attalus. Upon this war was immediately proclaimed. Philip at first gained an considerable advantage in a naval engagement; but the next year was defeated with the loss of 11,000 men, while the Rhodians lost but 60 men and Attalus 75. After this he carefully avoided coming to an engagement at sea either with Attalus or the Rhodians. The combined fleet, in the mean time, sailed towards the island of Aegina in hopes of intercepting him; but having failed in their purpose, they sailed to Athens, where they concluded a treaty with that people; and, on their return, drew all the Cyclades into a confederacy against Philip. But while the allies were thus wasting their time in negotiations, Philip, having divided his forces into two bodies, sent one, under the command of Philocles, to ravage the Athenian territories; and put the other aboard his fleet, with orders to sail to Meronea, a city on the north side of Thrace. He then marched towards that city himself with a body of forces, took it by assault, and reduced a great many others; so that the confederates would, in all probability, have had little reason to boast of their success, had not the Romans come to their assistance, by whose help the war was soon terminated to their advantage. In the war which took place between the Romans and Antiochus the Great king of Syria, the Rhodians were very useful allies to the former. The best part of their fleet was indeed destroyed by a treacherous contrivance of Polyxenides the Syrian admiral; but they soon fitted out another, and defeated a Syrian squadron commanded by the celebrated Hannibal, the Carthaginian commander; after which, in conjunction with the Romans, they utterly defeated the whole Syrian fleet commanded by Polyxenides; which, together together with the loss of the battle of Magnesia, so dispirited Antiochus, that he submitted to whatever conditions the Romans pleased.

For these services the Rhodians were rewarded with the provinces of Lycia and Caria; but tyrannizing over the people in a terrible manner, the Lycians applied to the Romans for protection. This was readily granted; but the Rhodians were so much displeased with their interfering in this matter, that they feerely favoured Perseus in the war which broke out between him and the Roman republic. For this offence the two provinces above mentioned were taken from them; but the Rhodians, having banished or put to death those who had favoured Perseus, were again admitted into favour, and greatly honoured by the senate. In the Mithridatic war, their alliance with Rome brought upon them the king of Pontus with all his force; but having lost the greatest part of his fleet before the city, he was obliged to raise the siege without performing any remarkable exploit. In the war which Pompey made on the Cilician pirates, the Rhodians assisted him with all their naval force, and had a great share in the victories which he gained. In the civil war between Caesar and Pompey, they assisted the latter with a very numerous fleet. After his death they joined Caesar; which drew upon them the resentment of C. Cassius, who advanced to the island of Rhodes with a powerful fleet, after having reduced the greatest part of the continent. The Rhodians, terrified at his approach, sent ambassadors entreating him to make up matters in an amicable manner, and promising to stand neuter, and recall the ships which they had sent to the assistance of the triumvir. Cassius insisted upon their delivering up their fleet to him, and putting him in possession both of their harbour and city. This demand the Rhodians would by no means comply with, and therefore began to put themselves in a condition to stand a siege; but first sent Archelaus, who had taught Cassius the Greek tongue while he studied at Rhodes, to intercede with his disciple in their behalf. Archelaus could not, with all his authority, prevail upon him to moderate his demands; wherefore the Rhodians, having created one Alexander, a bold and enterprising man, their pretor or prytanis, equipped a fleet of 33 sail, and sent it out under the command of Mnaseus, an experienced sea-officer, to offer Cassius battle. Both fleets fought with incredible bravery, and the victory was long doubtful; but the Rhodians, being at length overpowered by numbers, were forced to return with their fleet to Rhodes; two of their ships being sunk, and the rest very much damaged by the heavy ships of the Romans. This was the first time, as our author observes, that the Rhodians were fairly overcome in a sea-fight.

Cassius, who had beheld this fight from a neighbouring hill, having refitted his fleet, which had been no less damaged than that of the Rhodians, repaired to Loryma, a stronghold on the continent belonging to the Rhodians. This castle he took by assault; and from hence conveyed his land-forces, under the conduct of Tannius and Lentulus, over into the island. His fleet consisted of 80 ships of war and above 250 transports. The Rhodians no sooner saw this mighty fleet appear, but they went out again to meet the enemy. The second engagement was far more bloody than the first; many ships were sunk, and great numbers of men killed on both sides. But victory anew declared for the Romans; who immediately blocked up the city of Rhodes both by sea and land. As the Rhodians had not had time to furnish the city with sufficient store of provisions, some of the inhabitants, fearing that if it were taken either by assault or by famine, Cassius would put all the inhabitants to the sword, as Brutus had lately done at Xanthus, privately opened the gate to him, and put him in possession of the town, which he nevertheless treated as if it had been taken by assault, and cruelly pillaged the city.

He commanded 50 of the chief citizens, who were suspected to favour the adverse party, to be brought before him, and sentenced them all to die; others, to the number of 25, who had commanded the fleet or army, because they did not appear when summoned, he proscribed. Having thus punished such as had either acted or spoken against him or his party, he commanded the Rhodians to deliver up to him all their ships, and whatever money they had in the public treasury. He then plundered the temples; stripping them of all their valuable furniture, vessels, and statues. He is said not to have left one statue in the whole city, except that of the sun; bragging, at his departure, that he had stripped the Rhodians of all they had, leaving them nothing but the sun. As to private persons, he commanded them, under severe penalties, to bring to him all the gold and silver they had, promising, by a public crier, a tenth part to such as should discover any hidden treasures. The Rhodians at first concealed some part of their wealth, imagining that Cassius intended by this proclamation only to terrify them; but when they found he was in earnest, and saw several wealthy citizens put to death for concealing only a small portion of their riches, they desired that the time prefixed for the bringing in their gold and silver might be prolonged. Cassius willingly granted them their request; and then through fear they dug up what they had hid underground, and laid at his feet all they were worth in the world. By this means he extorted from private persons above 8000 talents. He then fined the city 500 more; and leaving L. Varus there with a strong garrison to exact the fine without any abatement, he returned to the continent.

After the death of Cassius, Marc Antony restored the Rhodians to their ancient rights and privileges; bestowing upon them the islands of Andros, Naxos, Tenos, and the city of Myndus. But these the Rhodians so oppressed and loaded with taxes, that the same Antony, though a great friend to the Rhodian republic, was obliged to divest her of the sovereignty over those places, which he had a little before so liberally bestowed upon her. From this time to the reign of the emperor Claudius we find no mention made of the Rhodians. That prince, as Dion informs us, deprived them of their liberty for having crucified some Roman citizens. However, he soon restored them to their former condition, as we read in Suetonius and Tacitus. The latter adds, that they had been as often deprived of, as restored to, their liberty, by way of punishment or reward for their different behaviour, as they had obliged the Romans with their assistance in foreign wars, or provoked them with their seditions at home. Pliny, Rhodes re-who wrote in the beginning of Vespasian's reign, styles Rhodes a beautiful and free town. But this liberty they did not long enjoy; the island became soon after reduced by Vespasian. by the same Vespasian to a Roman province, and obliged to pay a yearly tribute to their new masters. This province was called the province of the Rhodians. The Roman praetor who governed it resided at Rhodes, as the chief city under his jurisdiction; and Rome, notwithstanding the eminent services rendered her by this republic, thenceforth treated the Rhodians not as allies, but vassals.

The island of Rhodes continued subject to the Romans till the reign of the emperor Andronicus; when Villaret, grand-master of the knights of Jerusalem, then residing in Cyprus, finding himself much exposed to the attacks of the Saracens in that island, resolved to exchange it for that of Rhodes. This island too was almost entirely occupied by the Saracens; Andronicus the eastern emperor possessing little more in it than a castle. Nevertheless he refused to grant the investiture of the island to Villaret. The latter, without spending time in fruitless negotiations, sailed directly for Rhodes, where he landed his troops, provisions, and warlike stores, in spite of the opposition made by the Saracens, who then united against the common enemy.

As Villaret foresaw that the capital must be taken before he could reduce the island, he instantly laid siege to it. The inhabitants defended themselves obstinately, upon which the grand-master thought proper to turn the siege into a blockade; but he soon found himself so closely surrounded by the Greeks and Saracens, that he could get no supply either of forage or provisions for his army. But having at length obtained a supply of provisions by means of large sums borrowed of the Florentines, he came out of his trenches and attacked the Saracens, with a full resolution either to conquer or die. A bloody fight ensued, in which a great number of the bravest knights were killed; but at length the Saracens gave way, and fled to their ships; upon which the city was immediately assaulted and taken. The Greeks and other Christians had their lives and liberties given them, but the Saracens were all cut to pieces. The reduction of the capital was followed by that of all the other places of inferior strength throughout the island; and in four years after their landing, the whole was subjugated, and the conquerors took the title of the Knights of Rhodes. For many years those knights continued the terror of the Saracens and Turks, and sustained a severe siege from Mohammed II., who was compelled to abandon the enterprise; but at length the Turkish sultan Solyman resolved at all events to drive them from it. Before he undertook the expedition, he sent a message commanding them to depart from the island without delay; in which case he promised that neither they nor the inhabitants should suffer any injury, but threatened them with his utmost vengeance if they refused his offer. The knights, however, proving obdurate, Solyman attacked the city with a fleet of 400 sail and an army of 140,000 men.

The trenches were soon brought close to the counter-scarp, and a strong battery raised against the town; which, however, did but little damage, till the sultan being informed by a spy of this particular, and that he was in danger of receiving some fatal shot from the tower of St John which overlooked his camp, he planted a battery against that tower, and quickly brought it down. Solyman, however, finding the whole place in some measure covered with strong fortifications of such height as to command all his batteries, ordered an immense quantity of stones and earth to be brought; in which so great a number of hands were employed night and day by turns, that they quickly raised a couple of hillocks high enough to overtop the city-walls. They pried them accordingly with such a continual fire, that the grand-master was obliged to cause them to be strongly propped within with earth and timber. All this while the besieged, who, from the top of the grand-master's palace, could discover how their batteries were planted, demolished them with their cannon almost as fast as they raised them.

Here the enemy thought proper to alter their measures, and to plant a strong battery against the tower of battered St Nicholas, which, in the former siege by Mohammed, had resisted all the efforts of the then grand-vizier. This the bashaw of Romania caused to be battered with 12 large pieces of brass cannon, but had the mortification to see them all dismounted by those of the tower: to prevent which in future, he ordered them to be fired only in the night, and in the day had them covered with gabions and earth. This had such success, that, after 5000 cannon shot, the wall began to shake and tumble into the ditch; but he was surprized to find another wall behind it well terraced, and bordered with artillery, and himself obliged either to begin afresh or give up the enterprise: and yet this last was what Solyman preferred, when he was told of its being built on a hard rock, incapable of being fapped, and how firmly it had held out against all the efforts of Mohammed's vizier. The next attack was therefore ordered by him to be made against the bastions of the town, and that with a vast number of the largest artillery, which continued firing during a whole month; so that the new wall of the bastion of England was quite demolished, though the old one stood proof against all their shot. That of Italy, which was battered by 17 large pieces of cannon, was still worse damaged; upon which Martinengo the engineer advised the grand-master to cause a folly to be made on the trenches of the enemy out of the breach, whilst he was making fresh intrenchments behind it. His advice succeeded: and the 200 men who fell out sword in hand having surprised the Turks in the trench, cut most of them in pieces. At the same time a new detachment, which was sent to repulse them, being obliged, as that engineer rightly judged, to pass by a spot which lay open to their artillery, were likewise mostly destroyed by the continual fire that came from it, whilst the assailants were employed in filling up several fathoms of the trench before they retired. By that time the breach had been repaired with such new works, that all the efforts to mount it by assault proved equally ineffectual and destructive.

Unfortunately for the besieged, the continual fire they had made caused such a consumption of their powder, that they began to feel the want of it; the perfidious powder, d'Amaraud, whose province it had been to visit the magazines of it, having amused the council with a false supply report, that there was more than sufficient to maintain defect. But here the grand-master found means to supply in some measure that unexpected defect, by the cautious provision he had made of a large quantity of saltpetre, which was immediately ground and made into gunpowder, though he was at the same time obliged to order the engineers... to be more sparing of it for the future, and to make use of it only in the defence of such breaches as the enemy should make.

All this while the Turks had not gained an inch of ground; and the breaches they had made were so suddenly either repaired or defended by new intrenchments, that the very rubbish of them must be mounted by assault. Solyman, therefore, thought it now advisable to set his numerous pioneers at work, in five different parts, in digging of mines, each of which led to the bastion opposite to it. Some of these were countermined by a new invented method of Martinengo; who, by the help of braced skins, or drums, could discover where the miners were at work. Some of these he perceived, which he caused to be opened, and the miners to be driven out by hand grenades; others to be smothered, or burned, by setting fire to gunpowder. Yet did not this hinder two considerable ones to be sprung, which did a vast deal of damage to the bastion of England, by throwing down about six fathoms of the wall, and filling up the ditch with its rubbish: whereupon the Turks immediately climbed up sword in hand to the top of it, and planted seven of their standards upon the parapet; but being flopped by a traverse, the knights, recovering from their surprize fell upon them with such fury, that they were obliged to abandon it with great loss. The grand-master, who was then at church, quickly came to the place with his short pike in his hand, attended by his knights, encouraging all he met with, burgurers, soldiers, and others, to fight bravely in defence of their religion and country, and arrived time enough to assist in taking down their standards, and driving down the enemy by the way they came up. In vain did the vizier Mustapha endeavour to prevent their flight by killing some of the foremost with his sword, and driving the rest back; they were obliged to abandon the bastion, and, which was still worse, met with that death in their flight, which they had strove to shun from the fire-arms which were discharged upon them from the ramparts. Three families lost their lives in this attack, besides some thousands of the Turks; the grand-master, on his side, lost some of his bravest knights, particularly his standard-bearer.

The attacks were almost daily renewed with the same ill success and loss of men, every general striving to signalize himself in the sight of their emperor. At length the old general Peri, or Pyrrus, having harassed the troops which guarded the bastion of Italy for several days successively without intermission, caused a strong detachment, which he had kept concealed behind a cavalier, to mount the place by break of day, on the 13th of September; where, finding them overcome with sleep and fatigue, they cut the throats of the sentinels, and, sliding through the breach, were just going to fall upon them.

The Italians, however, quickly recovered themselves and their arms, and gave them an obstinate repulse. The contest was fierce and bloody on both sides; and the bashaw, still supplying his own with new reinforcements, would hardly have failed of overpowering the other, had not the grand-master, whom the alarm had quickly reached, timely intervened, and by his presence, as well as example, revived the Rhodians, and thrown a sudden panic among the enemy. Pyrrus, desirous to do something to wipe off the disgrace of this repulse, tried his fortune next on an adjoining work, lately raised by the grand-master Caretti: but here his soldiers met with a still worse treatment, being almost overwhelmed with the hand-grenades, melted pitch, and boiling oil, which came pouring upon them, whilst the forces which were on the adjacent flanks made as great a slaughter of those that fled; inasmuch that the janizaries began to resume their old murmuring tone, and cry out that they were brought thither only to be slaughtered.

The grand vizier Mustapha, afraid lest their complaints should reach his master, agreed at length, as the last resort, to make a fresh attempt on the bastion of England, whilst, to cause a diversion, the bashaw Achmed sprung some fresh mines at an opposite part of the city. This was accordingly executed on the 17th of September; when the former, at the head of five battalions, resolutely mounted or rather crept up the breach, and, in spite of the fire of the English, advanced so far as to pitch some standards on the top; when, on a sudden, a crowd of English knights, commanded by one Bouk, or Burk, fell out of their intrenchments, and, assisted by some other officers of distinction, obliged them to retire, though in good order. Mustapha, provoked at it, led them back, and killed several knights with his own hand; and had his men supported him as they ought, the place must have been yielded to him: but the fire which was made from the adjacent batteries and musketry disconcerted them to such a degree, that neither threats nor entreaties could prevent their abandoning the enterprise, and dragging him away with them by main force. The Rhodians lost in that action several brave knights, both English and German; and, in particular, John Burk, their valiant commander: but the Turks lost above 3000 men, besides many officers of distinction. Much the same ill success having attended Achmed with his mines, one of which had been opened, and the other only bringing some fathoms of the wall down, he was also obliged to retreat; his troops, though some of the very best, being forced to disperse themselves, after having borne the fire and fury of the Spanish and Auvergnian knights as long as they were able.

By this time Solyman, ashamed and exasperated at his ill success, called a general council; in which he made some flinging reflections on his vizier, for having represented the reduction of Rhodes as a very easy enterprise. To avoid the effects of the sultan's resentment, the subtle Mustapha declared, that hitherto they had fought the enemy as it were upon equal terms, as if they had been afraid of taking an ungenerous advantage of their superiority, by which, said he, we have given them an opportunity of opposing us with their united force wherever we attacked them. But let us now resolve upon a general assault on several sides of the town; and see what a poor defence their strength, thus divided, will be able to make against our united force. The advice was immediately approved by all, and the time appointed for the execution of it was on the 24th of that month, and every thing was ordered to be got ready against that day. Accordingly the An assault town was equally assaulted at four different parts, after having suffered a continual fire for some time from their artillery in order to widen the breaches; by which the grand-master easily understood their design, and that the bastions of England and Spain, the polt of Provence, and terrace of Italy, were pitched upon for the assault, and took his precautions accordingly.

The morning was no sooner come, than each party mounted. mounted their respective breach with an undaunted bravery, the young sultan, to animate them the more, having ordered his throne to be reared on an eminence, whence he could see all that was done. The Rhodians, on the other hand, were no less diligent in repelling them with their cannon and other fire-arms, with their melted lead, boiling oil, flint pots, and other usual expedients. The one side ascend the scaling ladders, fearless of all that opposed them; the other overturn their ladders, and send them tumbling down headlong into the ditches, where they were overwhelmed with stones, or dispatched with darts and other missile weapons. The bastion of England proves the scene of the greatest slaughter and bloodshed; and the grand-master makes that his post of honour, and, by his presence and example, inspires his men with fresh vigour and bravery, whilst the continual thunder of his artillery makes such horrid work among the assailants as chills all their courage, and forces them to give way: the lieutenant-general, who commands the attack, leads them back with fresh vigour, and mounts the breach at the head of all; immediately after comes a cannon-ball from the Spanish bastion, which overturns him dead into the ditch. This disaster, instead of fear and dread, fills them with a furious desire of revenging his death: but all their obstinacy cannot make the Rhodians go one step back, whilst the priests, monks, young men and old, and even women of every rank and age, assist them with an uncommon ardour and firmness; some in overwhelming the enemy with stones; others in destroying them with melted lead, sulphur, and other combustibles; and a third sort in supplying the combatants with bread, wine, and other refreshments.

The assault was no less desperate and bloody on the bastion of Spain, where the knights, who guarded it, not expecting to be so soon attacked, and ashamed to stand idle, were afflicting the bastion of Italy; which gave the Turks an opportunity to mount the breach, and penetrate as far as their intrenchments, where they planted no less than 30 of their standards on them. The grand-master was quickly apprised of it, and ordered the bastion of Auvergne to play against them; which was done with such diligence, and such continual fire, whilst the Rhodians enter the bastion by the help of their comrades, and, sword in hand, fall upon them with equal fury, that the Turks, alike belied by the fire of the artillery and the arms of the Rhodian knights, were forced to abandon the place with a considerable loss. The age with great bravery rallies them afresh, and brings them back, by which time the grand-master likewise appeared. The fight was renewed with greater fierceness; and such slaughter was made on both sides, that the grand-master was obliged to draw 200 men out of St Nicholas tower to his assistance: these were commanded by four Roman knights, who led them on with such speed and bravery, that their very appearance on the bastion made the Janissaries draw back; which Solyman observing from his eminence, caused a retreat to be sounded, to conceal the disgrace of their flight. In these attacks there fell about 15,000 of his best troops, besides several officers of distinction. The loss of the besieged was no less considerable, if we judge from the small number of their forces; but the greatest of all to them was that of some of their bravest and most distinguished knights and commanders, many of whom were killed, and scarce any escaped unwounded. But the most dreadful fate of all had like to have fallen on the favourite vizier Mustapha, who had proposed this general assault: the ill success of which had enraged the proud sultan, that he condemned him to be shot with arrows at the head of his army; which dreadful sentence was just ready to be executed, when the old bashaw, by his intrigues, obtained a suspension of it, in hopes that, when his fury was abated, he should also obtain his pardon.

Solyman, however, was so discouraged by his ill success, that he was on the point of raising the siege, and would have actually done so, had he not been diverted from it by the advice which he received from an Albanian deserter, some say by a letter from the traitor d'Amaral, that the far greater part of the knights were either killed or wounded, and those that remained altogether incapable of sustaining a fresh assault. This having determined him to try his fortune once more, the command of his forces was turned over to the bashaw Achmed; and, to show that he designed not to stir till he was master of the place, he ordered a house to be built on the adjacent mount Philermos for his winter-quarters. Achmed marched directly against the bastion of Spain, which had suffered the most; where, before he could open the trenches, his men fell thick and three-fold by the constant fire both of small and great guns from the bastion of Auvergne. He lost still a much-greater number in rearing a rampart of earth to cover the attack, and give him an opportunity of tapping the wall; and, as soon as he saw a large piece fall, ordered his men to mount the breach. They were no sooner come to the top, than they found a new work and intrenchments which Martinengo had reared; and there they were welcomed with such a brisk fire from the artillery, that they were glad to recapture their trenches with the utmost precipitation, after having lost the much greater part of their men. The attack was renewed, and a reciprocal fire continued with great obstinacy, till a musket-shot deprived that indefatigable engineer of one of his eyes, and the order of his affidavit services for some time. The grand-master, having ordered him to be carried to his palace, took his place, and kept it till he was quite cured, which was not till 34 days after; and continued all the time in the intrenchments with his handful of knights, scarcely allowing himself rest night or day, and ever ready to expose himself to the greatest dangers, with an ardour more becoming a junior officer than an old worn out sovereign; which made his knights more lavish of their own lives than their paucity and present circumstances could well admit of.

Soon after this, the treason of d'Amaral was discovered, and he was condemned to death and executed; but by this time the city was reduced to the last extremity. The pope, emperor, and other crowned heads, had been long and often importuned by the grand-master for speedy assistance, without success; and, as an addition to all the other disasters, those succours which were sent to him from France and England perished at sea. The new supply which he had sent for of provisions from Candia had the same ill fate; so that the winds, seas, and every thing, seemed combined to bring on the destruction of that city and order. The only resource which could be thought of, under so dismal a situation, was, to send for the few remaining knights and forces which were left to guard the other islands, to come to the defense of their capital, in hopes that, if they could face this, the others might in time be recovered, in case the Turks should seize upon them. On the other hand, Solyman, grown impatient at the small ground his general had gained, gave him express orders to renew the attack with all imaginable speed and vigour; before the succours which he apprehended were coming from Europe, obliged him to raise the siege. Ahmed instantly obeyed, raised a battery of 17 large cannon against the bastion of Italy, and quickly after made himself master of it, obliging the garrison to retire farther into the city. Here the grand-master was forced to demolish two of the churches, to prevent the enemy's seizing on them; and, with their materials, caused some new works and entrenchments to be made to hinder their proceeding farther.

The Turks, however, gained ground every day, though they still lost vast numbers of their men; at length the 30th of November came, when the grand-master, and both the besiegers and besieged, thought the last assault was to be given. The bailiff Pyrrus, who commanded it, led his men directly to the entrenchments; upon which the bells of all the churches sounded the alarm. The grand-master, and his few knights, troops, and citizens, ran in crowds, and in a confused disorderly manner, to the entrenchments, each fighting in his own way, or rather as his fear directed him. This attack would have proved one of the most desperate that had yet been felt, had not a most vehement rain intervened, which carried away all the earth which the enemy had reared to serve them as a rampart against the artillery of the bastion of Auvergne; so that being now quite exposed to their continual fire, they fell in such great numbers, that the bailiff could no longer make them stand their ground, but all precipitately fled towards their camp. This last repulse threw the proud sultan into such a fury, that none of his officers dared to come near him; and the shame of his having now spent near five whole months with such a numerous army before the place, and having lost such myriads of his brave troops with so little advantage, had made him quite desperate, and they all dreaded the consequences of his resentment.

Pyrrus at length, having given it time to cool, ventured to approach him, and propose a new project to him, which, if approved, could hardly fail of success; which was, to offer the town a generous capitulation; and he observed, that in case the stubborn knights should reject it, yet being now reduced to so small a number, as well as their forces and fortifications almost destroyed, the citizens, who were most of them Greeks, and least ambitious of glory than solicitous for their own preservation, would undoubtedly accept of any composition that should secure to them their lives and effects.

This proposal being relished by the sultan, letters were immediately dispersed about the city in his name, exhorting them to submit to his government, and threatening them at the same time with the most dreadful effects of his resentment if they persisted in their obstinacy. Pyrrus likewise dispatched a Genoese to approach as near as he could to the bastion of Auvergne, and to intreat the knights to take pity of so many of their Christian brethren, and not expose them to the dreadful effects which must follow their refusal of a capitulation, so generously offered them at their last extremity. Other agents were likewise employed in other places: to all of whom the grand-master ordered some of his men to return this answer, That his order never treated with infidels but with sword in hand. An Albanian was sent next with a letter from the sultan to him, who met with the same repulse; after which, he ordered his men to fire upon any that should present themselves upon the same pretences; which was actually done. But this did not prevent the Rhodians from listening to the terms offered by the Turks, and holding frequent cabals upon that subject; in which the general massacre of a town taken by assault, the dreadful slavery of those that escaped, the rape of their wives and daughters, the destruction of their churches, the profanation of their holy relics and sacred utensils, and other dire consequences of an obstinate refusal, being duly weighed against the sultan's offers, quickly determined their choice. The grand-master, however, proving inexorable to all their intretries, they applied to their Greek metropolitan, who readily went and represented all these things to him in the most pathetic terms: Yet he met with no better reception; but was told that he and his knights were determined to be buried under the ruins of the city if their swords could no longer defend it, and he hoped their example would not permit them to show less courage on that occasion. This answer produced a quite contrary effect; and, as the citizens thought delays dangerous at such a juncture, they came in a body to him by the very next morning, and plainly told him, that if he paid no greater regard to their preservation, they would not fail of taking the most proper measures to preserve the lives and chastity of their wives and children.

This resolution could not but greatly alarm the grand-master; who thereupon called a council of all the knights, and informed them himself of the condition of the place. These all agreed, particularly the engineer Martinengo, that it was no longer defensible, and no other resource left but to accept the sultan's offers; adding, at the same time, that though they were all ready, according to the obligations of their order, to fight to the last drop of their blood, yet it was no less their duty to provide for the safety of the inhabitants, who, not being bound by the same obligations, ought not to be made a sacrifice to their glory. It was therefore agreed, with the grand-master's consent, to accept of the next offers the sultan should make. He did not let them wait long; for the fear he was in of a fresh succour from Europe, the intrepidity of the knights, and the shame of being forced to raise the siege, prevailed upon him to hang out his pacific flag, which was quickly answered by another on the Rhodian side; upon which the Turks, coming out of their trenches, delivered up the sultan's letter for the grand-master, to the grand-prior of St Giles, and the engineer Martinengo. The terms offered in it by Solyman appeared so advantageous, that they immediately exchanged hostages; and the knights that were sent to him had the honour to be introduced to him, and to hear them confirmed by his own mouth, though not without threats of putting all to fire and sword in case of refusal, or even delay. Two ambassadors were forthwith sent to him, to demand a truce of three days to settle the capitulation and interests of the inhabitants, who were part Greeks and part Latins; but this was absolutely refused by the impatient monarch, out of a suspicion of the rumoured succour being near, and that the truce was only to gain time till it was come.

He therefore ordered the hostilities to be renewed with fresh fury; in which the Rhodians made a most noble, noble defence, considering their small number, and that they had now only the barbican or false bray of the bastion of Spain left to defend themselves, and once more repulsed the enemy: at which the sultan was so enraged, that he resolved to overpower them by numbers on the next day; which was, after a stout defence, so effectually done, that they were forced to abandon that outwork, and retire into the city. In the meanwhile, the burghers, who had but a day or two before raised a fresh uproar against the grand-master, under pretence that he was going to give them up a prey to an infidel who regarded neither oaths nor solemn treaties, perceiving their own danger, came now to desire him to renew the negotiations, and only begged the liberty of sending one of their deputies along with his, to secure their interests in the capitulation. He readily consented to it; but gave them a charge to show the bashaw Ahmed the treaty formerly concluded between Bajazet and his predecessor d'Aubuiffon, in which the former had entailed a dreadful curse on any of his successors that should infringe it. This was done, in hopes that the showing it to his master, who valued himself so much upon his strict observance of his law, might produce some qualm in him which might lengthen the agreement, for they were still as much in hopes of a succour from Europe as he was in fear of it; but to their great surprize, Ahmed had no sooner perused than he tore it all in pieces, trampled it under his feet, and in a rage ordered them to be gone. The grand-master found no other resource than to send them back to him the next day; when that minister, who knew his master's impatience to have the affair concluded, quickly agreed with them upon the terms, which were in substance as follow:

1. That the churches should not be profaned. 2. That the inhabitants should not be forced to part with their children to be made janissaries. 3. That they should enjoy the free exercise of their religion. 4. That they should be free from taxes during five years. 5. That those who had a mind to leave the island should have free leave to do so. 6. That if the grand-master and his knights had not a sufficient number of vessels to transport themselves and their effects into Candia, the sultan should supply that defect. 7. That they should have twelve days allowed them, for the signing of the articles, to send all their effects on board. 8. That they should have the liberty of carrying away their relics, chalices, and other sacred utensils belonging to the great church of St John, together with all their ornaments and other effects. 9. That they should likewise carry with them all the artillery with which they were wont to arm the galleys of the order. 10. That the islands belonging to it, together with the castle of St Peter, should be delivered up to the Turks. 11. That, for the more easy execution of these articles, the Turkish army should be removed at some miles distance from the capital. 12. That the aga of the janissaries, at the head of 4000 of his men, should be allowed to go and take possession of the place.

From this time the island of Rhodes has been subject to the Turks; and, like other countries subject to that tyrannical yoke, has lost its former importance. The air is good, and the soil fertile, but ill cultivated. The capital is surrounded with triple walls and double ditches, and is looked upon to be impregnable. It is inhabited by Turks and Jews; the Christians being obliged to occupy the suburbs, as not being allowed to stay in the town during the night. The town is situated in E. Long. 28. 25. N. Lat. 36. 54.