a great degree to counterbalance the advantages secured
to the besiegers by the use of artillery,--especially such clumsy
artillery, and so awkwardly served, as that of the Turks. But these
advantages would have proved of little worth, had it not been for the
character of the men who were to profit by them. It was the character of
the defenders that constituted the real strength of the defence. This
was the true bulwark that resisted every effort of the Ottoman arms,
when all outward defences were swept away. Every knight was animated by
a sentiment of devotion to his order, and that hatred to the infidel in
which he had been nursed from his cradle, and which had become a part of
his existence. These sentiments he had happily succeeded in
communicating to his followers, and even to the people of the island.
Thus impelled by an unswerving principle of conduct, the whole body
exhibited that unity and promptness of action which belongs to an
individual. From the first hour of the siege to the last, all idea of
listening to terms from the enemy was rejected. Every man was prepared
to die rather than surrender. One exception only occurred,--that of a
private soldier in La Sangle, who, denying the possibility of holding
out against the Turks, insisted on the necessity of accepting the terms
offered to the garrison. The example of his cowardice might have proved
contagious; and the wretched man expiated his offence on the
gallows.[1388]

Above all, the strength of the besieged lay in the character of their
chief. La Valette was one of those rare men whom Providence seems to
raise up for special occasions, so wonderfully are their peculiar
qualities suited to the emergency. To that attachment to his order which
he had in common with his brethren, he united a strong religious
sentiment, sincere and self-sacrificing, which shone through every act
of his life. This gave him an absolute ascendancy over his followers,
which he had the capacity to turn to full account. He possessed many of
the requisites for success in action; great experience, a quick eye, a
cool judgment. To these was united a fixedness of purpose not to be
shaken by menace or entreaty; and which was only to be redeemed from the
imputation of obstinacy by the extraordinary character of the
circumstances in which he was placed. The reader will recall a memorable
example, when La Valette insisted on defending St. Elmo to the last, in
defiance not only of the remonstr