The Sun.
London, England, 1853-03-22 00:00:00

LITERATURE.
The history of the holy, Military, Sovereigi
of St. John of Jerusalem, or Knights
taliers, Knights Templars, Knights of
Knights of Malta. By John Taafe, Knight Com
mander of the Order, and author of " Adelais."
Vols. 111. and IV. Hope and Co.

The two first volumes Of this series appeared some
months ago—these complete it. Much interesting
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oovwleur shmo whose
is devoted to the knights when at Rhodes, the other
des‘s;bes their fortunes at Malta. Their sufferings
and calamities were very great at Rhodes. Solyman
the Magnificent (as he was termed) completely
destroyed the island, as it is recorded :--
" The renowned, splendid, beautiful island of Rhodes,
and its ancient and most noble capital, which the order
had acquired with so much generosity and boldness, and
maintained their state there for 213 years, with mar-
vellous vigour, liberality, and gentleness, and mighty
expenses ofioug,sooldhde:smpaoyntidsumnafeflo:re;dredlateimwcsiothFunoanntrtay infinitude of
blood, had now passed away beneath the Paynim's
Ahwandnaatmhp,retoried. Grand Master, refused to yield tiolneOths.he ilLneftsluslrt-e
ing terms proposed by his conqueror, and his good
faith and courage drew down the applause of his haughty
opponent, who, to do honour to devoted constancy,
raised the imperial diadem a little from his head, a
ceremony the Ottoman sovereign uses with none of earthly
kings, nor in truth, with any but in naming God
or Mahomet f'

And he afterwards suffered him and his knighta
to depart free of injury. Their troubles
were only suspended to be completed at Malta.
There the horrors of their fate were beyond bounds.
Valetta was the Grand Master at that time, and
afterwards had a city built, and " named with his
name," in honour of his heroic exploits. Solyman,
their old enemy, sent two pashas to overthrow the
island, but they were repulsed after repeated
attacks, and the loss they sustained was that of
thirty thousand men. Solyman letting fall the
dispatch containing the awful news, exclaimed,
"It is only in my own hand that my sword is
invincible." The knights and their followers,
with Valetta himself, fixed his head-quarters at
Boyo, and sent Colonel ITlas to defend St.
Elmo, at a little distance from him, but the Turks
cut off all communication between the places, and,
finally, they gained a brief victory at St. Elmo
thus the high-spirited Valetta was compelled to see
his followers perish in his sight, he not being strong
enough to make a sally in their behalf. But their
loss was gloriously avenged in a few days.
In the following manner he exerted himself in
emergencies :

" The Grand Master went to the infirmary where, suin-
moning into the hall o arms all the wounded who could
leave their beds, sun— o Although I too am severely
wounded, yet contrive to continue my duty.
Other valiant knights and soldiers do the same,
though they are almost all wounded men, and
none, but are fatigued in the extreme, and
deprived of the greater part of their bodily strength,
has nevertheless stood unconquered in mind and full of
vigour. Too plainly do they see that things are at a
crisis, when it is better to end life valiant by fighting
with arms in their hands, than basely wait to be mas-
sacred in hospitals or houses, or undergo torments from
most cruel barbarians, firmly resolved not to spare a
single soul a them ; and enough were these few words
which penetrated like sharp darts into every one, and
drawing power from their very weakness, none remained
in the hospital except those already in the final agony."
The subsequent evil genius that attended the
order is traced through succeeding generations, till
we reach our own times, and then we leave it in
its retirement to dwell on the memory of its past
history which belongs to everyhistory of the world.

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