Page:A History of the Knights of Malta, or the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.djvu/318

288 annual sum of 10,000 ducats in compensation for the extraordinary expenses which they had incurred during the war with his father. Upon these terms, so highly favourable for the fraternity, peace was concluded. It has been alleged, as a reproach to D’Aubusson, that the allowance nominally made to Djem was in reality paid to the Order as an annual bribe for his safe custody. This was, however, not the case. The whole amount was regularly remitted to Djem, and expended by him partly in the maintenance of his household and partly in support of the envoys whom he was continually despatching to the various courts of Europe. Indeed, that the amount paid was not sufficient to meet his expenditure is clear from the fact that in the chapter-general held at Rhodes on the 10th September, 1489, it was decreed that D’Aubusson should be repaid out of the treasury the sum of 50,749 gold crowns which he had advanced to Djem over and above the annual income allowed him by his brother. There is but little doubt that the yearly payment of 10,000 ducats to the Order, although nominally supposed to be a repayment of expenses caused by Mahomet’s warlike operations, was in reality a tribute to prevent any hostile action being taken in support of Djem.

The young prince’s first intention on landing in France was to proceed at once to the court of the French king, and endeavour to enlist the sympathies of that monarch in his behalf. Charles VIII. was at the time about to undertake an expedition to Naples, and therefore felt very indisposed to embroil himself unnecessarily with the Ottoman sultan. The envoys whom Djem had despatched to him were received with the most studied coldness, a personal interview with the young prince was declined, and the king contented himself with vague offers of assistance, coupled with the impossible condition that Djem should embrace the Christian religion. Disheartened at the ill-success of his envoys the prince proceeded to the cornmandery of Bourgneuf, situated on the confines of Poitou and La Marche, the official residence of the grand-prior of Auvergne. Here he endeavoured to while away the time in such rural sports and amusements as the locality afforded.

He was, however, a personage of too much importance to the political interests of Europe to remain even there undisturbed.