Page:A History of the Knights of Malta, or the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.djvu/138

112 pernicious abuses. This done, he paid a flying visit to Rome to tender his respects to the Pope, after which he proceeded to Cyprus to assume the sway which had been delegated into his hands.

One of the earliest and most important acts of his rule was a descent upon Palestine, undertaken by the fraternity in alliance with Gayan, king of Persia. The accounts of this prince vary considerably, some writers having asserted that he was a Christian, others that he was a Mahometan, whilst there are not wanting those who state that he was a Pagan. Be this as it may, he was undoubtedly a. bitter enemy to the Saracens. He had therefore entered willingly into an alliance with the king of Cyprus, the Hospitallers, and the king of Armenia, with the view of securing the expulsion of his antagonists from the Holy Land. He was very desirous to restore the Christian kingdom of Jerusalem, which he considered would form an admirable barrier on the frontier of his dominions. The records of this expedition are few and very meagre, doubts having even been raised as to whether it ever really took place. Still sufficient testimony remains to show, not only that the Christians did actually once more make good their footing in the Holy Land, but that they even advanced as far as, and took possession of Jerusalem itself. The policy of the Saracens had, however, rendered this advance of no permanent avaiL They had taken the precaution of destroying the fortifications of every city within the limits of Palestine, the possession of which, therefore, must eventually remain with the power which could maintain the strongest force in the field. Accordingly we find that the Hospitallers, having once more gladdened their eyes with the sight of those holy places so familiar to their memory, were obliged to retire in face of the superior force which the Saracens brought against them; their ally, Gayan, having been suddenly called away in the midst of the campaign to quell a rebellion in his own dominions.

Thus driven from Palestine, and yet eager to bestir himself in the interests of his Order, the mind of Villaret gradually became impressed with the desire to obtain for them a new and more permanent home than that which had been accorded to them in Cyprus. He looked for a settlement in a spot where