CHAPTER II
TIRANT SUCCORS THE KNIGHTS OF RHODES
The news of the great deeds of Tirant preceded him,
and when he arrived in Brittany he was received with
great honor in the city of Nantes by the Duke of Brittany
and a multitude of people. One day, while Tirant
was engaged in conversation with the duke, two knights
arrived from the court of the King of France, who related
how the Knights of Saint John had left Jerusalem when
that city fell, and established themselves on the island
of Rhodes. The Sultan of Cairo was highly displeased
that Christians should live on that island and made
preparations to capture it. The Genoese, discovering
the intentions of the Sultan, and realizing what an important
seaport it afforded, planned to conquer it for themselves,
but their designs and plans were discovered by
the Knights of Rhodes and frustrated. The captain
of the unsuccessful Genoese venture then sailed to Beirut,
where the Sultan was at that time, and told all that had
happened. It was then agreed that the Sultan in person
should go to Rhodes with as large an army as possible.
One hundred and fifty thousand Moors were taken to
the island, and they destroyed everything on it, except
the city, which they besieged. The port of the city
was blockaded so that no food could reach the inhabitants.
The Grand Master of the Knights, seeing that their
plight was daily becoming more and more critical, sent
letters to the Pope, the Emperor, and to all the Christian
kings and princes, begging them to come to their aid.
The King of France received one of these appeals, but
paid little attention to it. (Chaps. 97-99)
Tirant, however, was eager to give them help. He
