94 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



his helmet, and, after throwing a Httle water upon his face, 

 he at last opened his eyes. The first spectacle, and the most 

 agreeable one that could offer itself to his sight, was that of 

 seeing his enemy slain, which was attended with the satisfac- 

 tion of having succeeded in so difficult an enterprise, in which 

 many of his brother con:ipanions had lost their lives. 



"No sooner was the fame of his victory and the serpent's 

 death proclaimed in the city but a crowd of inhabitants 

 thronged out to meet him. The knights conducted him 

 in triumph to the Grand Master's palace ; but in the midst 

 ■of their acclamations the conqueror was infinitely surprised 

 when the Grand Master, looking on him with indignation, de- 

 manded of him if he did not know the orders he had given 

 against attacking that dangerous beast, and if he thought 

 they might be violated with impunity. Immediately this 

 strict observer of discipline, without vouchsafing to hear him, 

 or being moved in the least by the intercession of the knights, 

 sent him directly to prison. He next convened the Council, 

 where he represented that the Order could by no means dis- 

 pense with inflicting a rigorous punishment on so notorious a 

 disobedience, that was more prejudicial to discipline than the 

 life of several serpents would have been to the cattle and 

 inhabitants of that quarter of the island ; and, like another 

 Manlius, he declared his opinion was that that victory should 

 be made fatal to the conqueror. But the Council prevailed 

 that he should be only deprived of the habit of the Order : in 

 short, the unfortunate knight was ignominiously degraded, 

 and there was but a short interval between his victory and 

 this kind of punishment, which he found more cruel and 

 severe than death itself. 



" But the Grand Master, after having by this chastisement 

 performed the obligations due to the preservation of discipline, 

 returned to his natural temper, which was full of sweetness 

 and good-nature. He was pleased to be pacified, and managed 

 things in such a manner as to make them entreat him to 

 grant a pardon, which he would have solicited himself if he 

 had not been at the head of the Order. At the pressing 

 instances made him by the principal commanders, he restored 

 him to the habit and his favour, and loaded him with kind- 

 nesses. All this was ?iot to be compared to the unfeigned 

 praises of the people, who dispose absolutely of glory, whilst 

 princes, how potent soever they may be, can only have the 

 ■disposal of the honours and dignities of the State. 



" They set up the head of this serpent or crocodile over 

 one of the gates of the city, as a monument of Gozon's 

 victory. Thevenot, in the relation of his travels, says that it 

 was there in his time — or, at least, the effigies of it ; that he 

 himself had seen it there ; that it was much bigger and 



