Page:A History of the Knights of Malta, or the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.djvu/536

502 his feeble frame, and he died at Rome on the 21st of December, 1581, aged seventy-eight years.

It was during his rule that the church of St. John the Baptist was erected in the new city of Valetta, and became the conventual cathedral. The expense of its construction was entirely defrayed by La Cassière out of his magisterial revenues, and he further endowed it with an annuity of 1,000 crowns. By a decree of the first chapter-general, held after the erection of this church, a separate chapel was assigned within its precincts to each langue. These chapels form the side aisles, and are filled with stately monuments erected in honour of members of the respective langues. The entire pavement is one of the most beautiful specimens of mosaic work in Europe. It is composed of a succession of records to the memory of the most celebrated among the bailiffs, grand-crosses, and commanders. It glistens with an endless variety of coloured marbles, representing the blazonry of the arms of the illustrious deceased; jasper, agate, and other similar valuable stones being plentifully introduced. The treasury of the church was enriched with numerous costly gifts in gold and silver, the quinquennial offerings of the Grand- Master and other leading dignitaries. In addition to the magnificent reliquary enclosing the hand of St. John, there were statues in silver of the twelve apostles, an exquisite golden chalice presented by Henry VIII. to L’Isle Adam, the sword and poniard given to La Valette by Philip of Spain, numerous crosses and censers in gold and silver, together with several very large candelabra of the latter metal. The chapel of the Virgin was lighted with a lamp of solid gold, suspended by a massive golden chain, and several of the altars were richly decorated and adorned with costly vessels. The whole of this treasure was plundered by Napoleon when he seized the island in the year 1798, and carried off to Egypt. It had been placed on board the French man-of-war, L’Orient, and was all lost with that vessel when she blew up at the battle of the Nile. Below the church La Cassière caused a crypt to be constructed, to which he transferred the remains of L’Isle Adam and La Valette, and it is there that these two heroes now rest, beneath handsome monuments erected at his cost. It was his