1 6 Travels into the Levant. Part 
The Siege of great a concern. On St. [/ffc^'s day, 1522. the Van of the Turkifli Fleet ap- 
^oiesh^so- peared before /?Wej : At that time there were but Fivethoufand fighting Men 
Jymmlh |^ Ehodes, of whom Six hundred wore the Habit, but they were all Men of 
Great Courage, under the Command of a valiant Mafter, who was Fhili^ àe FilUers 
Mailer. rjjle Adam, a French-man. The Turks Fleet confifted of about Four hundred 
Sail great and fmall, having Two hundred thouiand Men on board, Three- 
fcore thoufand of them being Pioneers, and the Grand Sigmor\nVtxïoï\^ wh6 
. much raifed their Courage, not only by his Promifes, but Threatnings j and 
befides that, daily fuccours came to them from Anatolia^ which is clofe by. This 
Siege is at length defcribed in the Hiftory of the Knights of St, John^ to which 
I refer the Reader, both it and that of Malta^ deferving very well to be read, 
which alTuredly are two of the mofl: memorable Sieges that any Hiflory men- 
tions, in regard of the many brave Adions performed by the Knights. The 
Turks Attacked the place with great fury, and the Knights mofl: valiantly De- 
fended it ; fo that the Grand Signior defpairing of taking it, was about to pack 
^Antei à' A- "P and be gone, and his Army already began to diflodge. When Andrea, £Ama.- 
maraJ a For- ral , a Portuguefe , Prior of Cafttle, and Chancellour of the Order , being 
tugiiefe Trai- vexed that he was not chofen Great Mafcer at the lail Ekftion, and thereupon 
bearing a great fpight to his Order, gave him notice by a Letter, which being 
faftned to an Arrow he fliot into his Camp ; That the Befieged were quite fpent, 
and informed him of a weak place in the Town, whereat he ought to give 
the Aflault, proraifing him an eafie Conquefi; of the place, if he had but pati- 
ence to abide feme days longer before it . The Grand Signior having followed 
this Counfel, the Town was taken by Compofition, for the Knights were redu- 
ced to that pafs, that they were not able to hold out any longer. And indeed, 
the Great Mafter received a great deal of Honour by this Siege, having been 
praifed by the Grand Signior himfelf, who both honoured and pittied him, 
offering him every thing that he flood in need of. This place was furrendred 
to the Turks about the end of the Year 1 522. after it had been kept by the 
Knights, for the fpace of Two hundred and forae odd Years. 
The Town hath two Harbours, the one which is the great Port, being 
fquare and fpacious enough j but it is not very fafe when it blows from Eafi: 
North eaft, or South-eaft -, and we found it bad enough for two days time that 
a North- Wind blew. When the Knights were in poffeflion of that Ifle, they 
deflgned to have made another in the corner near the Town, by the Caflle 
St. Angela^ and this would havê proved a fafe Port from all Winds, but they 
loft the place before they could put their defign in execution. On the right- 
hand of the entry into the Port, there is a new Tower built by the Turl^s, in 
place of the old one, which was called the Tower of Sx. Nicholas', it is fquare, 
has a pretty Dungeon or Plat- form in the upper part of it, and a Sentry-place 
at each Angle: This Tower is well furniflied with Cannon, it hathaBaftion 
adjoyning to it behind, and a Courtine that reaches to the Wails of the Town, 
and makes one of the fides of the Port : Over againft this Tower, on the 
other fide of the Port, there is an old Caftle, which ( when the Knights were 
Mafters there j was called the Caftle of St. Angelo-^ but it is fomewhat Rui- 
The CohjSus nous. The Caftle and Tower, which are above fifty Fathom diftant, are built 
of the Sun. upon the two places where ftood the Feet of that great Cobjfus of Brafs, one 
of the Seven Wonders of the World j betwixt the Legs of which. Ships 
palled under Sai'l. This Cohjfus which reprefented the Sun, was call by 
Chms the Chares the Lyndian ; it was Seventy Cubits high, and carried in one Hand a 
Lyndiun.^ Light-houfe, where every Night a light was kindled to direft the Velfels that 
were abroad at Sea. At length, fince the folideft thing that can be is fubjed 
to the decays of Time, this Colopis, which feemed immortal. Being over- 
thrown by an Earth-quake, lay there till the Saracenes having made themlelves 
Mafters of Rhodes.^ beat it in pieces, and fold it to a Jerr^ who loaded Nine 
hundred Camels with the Mettal, and carried it to Alexandria in the Year 
954. and 1451. years after it had been made. There is a Baftion on the Sea- 
fide behind the Tower of St. Nicholas^to which it is joyned,on which Nine very 
great Guns are Mounted, that defend the entry of the Port on all fides ; and 
it is Railed in with Wooden-Rails to the Land-fide. Next to that is the Port ' 
of the Galleys, which toward the Sea, is covered by a Tongue of Rock joyn- 
€d 
