d finances of the Ottoman Empire; he also studied the
Turkish literature, and practiced composition, both in prose and verse,
in the language of that country which was now his own! But think not,
reader, that in his heart he was a Mussulman, or that he had
extinguished the light of Christianity within his soul. No--oh! no; the
more he read on the subject of the Mohammedan system of theology, the
more he became convinced not only of its utter falsity, but also of its
incompatibility with the progress of civilization. Nevertheless, he
dared not pray to the True God whom he had renounced with his lips; but
there was a secret adoration, an interior worship of the Saviour, which
he could not and sought not to subdue.

Solyman the Magnificent, was an enlightened prince, and a generous
patron of the arts and sciences. He did not persecute the Christians,
because he knew, in his own heart, that they were further advanced in
all human ideas and institutions than the Ottomans. He was, therefore,
delighted whenever a talented Christian embraced the Moslem faith and
entered his service; and his keen perception speedily led him to discern
and appreciate all the merits and acquirements of his favorite Ibrahim.

Such was the state of things at Constantinople, when those rapidly
successive incidents, which we have already related, took place in
Florence. At this time immense preparations were being made by the
sultan for an expedition against the Island of Rhodes, then in the
possession of the Knights of St. John, commanded by their grand master,
Villiers of Isle Adam.

This chieftain, aware of the danger which menaced him, dispatched envoys
to the courts of Rome, Genoa, Venice, and Florence, imploring those
powers to send him assistance against the expected invasion of the
Turks. Each of these states hastened to comply with this request; and
numerous bodies of auxiliaries sailed from various ports in Italy to
fight beneath the glorious banner of Villiers of Isle Adam, one of the
stanchest veteran champions of Christendom.

Thus, at the very time when Nisida and Wagner were united in the bonds
of love on the island of which they were the possessors--while, too,
Isaachar the Jew languished in the prisons of the Inquisition of
Florence, at which city the chivalrous-hearted Manuel d'Orsini tarried
to hasten on the trial and give his testimony in favor of the
Israelite--and moreover while Flora, and the Countess Giulia dwelt in
the str