Page:A History of the Knights of Malta, or the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.djvu/264

238 parties, but when the terms came to be discussed, it was plain that the Venetians designed, under cover of an alliance, to render the fraternity entirely subservient to themselves. Their offers were consequently declined; still, when the storm actually burst on Negropont, the knights hastened to despatch to its assistance a squadron, under the command of D’Aubusson and Cardonne. Any benefit which might have accrued from the aid thus sent was rendered futile through the cowardice of the Venetian admiral, Canalis. That officer, at a critical moment, when the combined squadron of which he was the leader might have saved the town, carried off the Venetian fleet, and left the island to fall a prey to the Turkish arms.

The loss of Negropont would undoubtedly have been followed without delay by an attack on Rhodes but for the fact that at this critical juncture the shah of Persia declared war against the Ottoman empire. The shah, who had as good reason to dread that power on its eastern borders as the knights had on the west, entered into a league with the Pope, the kings of Naples and Aragon, the republics of Venice and Florence, and the Order of St. John. By virtue of this treaty he was to be furnished with men and money, and more especially with artillery, to aid him in carrying on hostilities against his formidable neighbour. The result was that for some years Mahomet found himself so much occupied on his eastern frontier that he was compelled for the time to postpone his ambitious projects in the Levant.

During this lull Orsini died in the year 1476, at so great an age that for a long period his rule over the fraternity had been little more than nominal; D’Aubusson, who had been raised to the rank of grand-prior of Auvergne, having been in reality the supreme director of the government. A curious incident preceded the death of Orsini. A few months before that event actually took place he was struck with an attack of syncope or catalepsy which his attendants mistook for death. Every preparation was consequently made for his funeral obsequies, and he would undoubtedly have been buried alive had he not fortunately recovered from the seizure in time to prevent such a catastrophe. His resuscitation lasted but for a short period, and an attack of dropsy carried him off in reality two months afterwards.