Page:A History of the Knights of Malta, or the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.djvu/125

Rh favourable situation on the sea coast rendered it the mart of the vast commerce which annually flowed both eastward and westward in the mutual exchange of the treasures of Europe and Asia. Its fortifications consisted of a double enceinte of rampart, by which the city was entirely surrounded on the land side; numerous flanking towers in close proximity to each other effectually strengthened its walls, which were so broad and solid that two chariots could pass abreast on their summit. These defences had been developed by the accumulated additions of agss, all the most celebrated of the crusaders who had resided within the city having added something to the fortress. St. Louis of Prance, in particular, had incurred a very large outlay in his zeal to strengthen, as far as possible, this important stronghold, the last which the Christians possessed in the Holy Land.

The grandeur of the town itself has been a fertile subject for the descriptive talents of contemporary historians. The streets, unlike those usually to be met with in the East, were wide and regular, the squares spacious, the public buildings imposing and grand, whilst the houses, which were built either of marble or of the finest cut stone, were constructed of equal height and with flat roofs, so that it was easy to pass from one end to the other without descending into the streets. They boasted, in every quarter of the town, of the luxury of glass windows, at that time still far from common in Europe, and they possessed the yet greater refinement of stained glass in the highest perfection; indeed, in this art they were far in advance of the nations of the West. Tradition revels in the picture which it draws of the splendour of all connected with this magnificent city. Silken canopies and awnings are said to have been stretched from side to side of the principal streets for protection from the mid-day heat, shedding a rich and subdued light on all around. The wealth of the world seems to have concentrated itself on this highly-favoured spot, and to have drawn thither, in consequence, the representatives of almost every nation under the sun.

Such a congregation of varied races, and such a constant stream of wealth flowing through its midst, naturally engendered a vicious mode of life, and we find the city in these, its last