rom the friendship of King
Ferdinand. A truly singular result of negotiations begun under such
unfavourable auspices, though the value of concessions, to
the observance of which nothing constrained the Sultan, seems
problematical, and was certainly less than the ambassador, in his
naive vanity, hastened to assume and proclaim.

While the text of the treaty was being prepared, Peter Martyr occupied
himself in collecting information concerning the mysterious land where
he found himself. Egypt was all but unknown to his contemporaries,
whose most recent information concerning the country was derived from
the writings of the ancients. The _Legatio Babylonica_, consisting of
three reports to the Spanish sovereigns, to which addenda were later
made, contains a mass of historical and geographical facts, of which
Europeans were ignorant; nothing escaped the ambassador's omnivorous
curiosity and discerning scrutiny, during what proved to be a
veritable voyage of discovery. He treats of the flora and fauna of
the country; he studied and noted the characteristics of the great
life-giver of Egypt--the Nile. The Mamelukes engaged his particular
attention, though much of the information furnished him about them was
erroneous. He plunged into antiquity, visited, measured, and described
the Sphinx and the Pyramids--also with many errors. Christian
tradition and pious legends have their place in his narrative,
especially that of Matarieh--_ubi Christus latuerat_ when carried
by his parents into Egypt to escape the Herodian massacre of the
Innocents.

On the twenty-first of February, Peter Martyr, escorted by a guard of
honour composed of high court officials and respectfully saluted by
a vast concourse of people, repaired to the palace for his farewell
audience. In taking an affectionate leave of him, the Sultan presented
him with a gorgeous robe, heavy with cunningly-wrought embroideries.
Christian and Mussulman were friends. Six days later he left the
capital for Alexandria, where he embarked on April 22d for Venice.

IV

Leonardo Loredano had meantime been elected Doge in succession to
the deceased Agostino Barbarigo. Spanish interests in the kingdom of
Naples were seriously compromised, and the diligence of the French
envoys threatened to win Venice from the neutral policy the Republic
had adopted and convert it into an ally of Louis XII.

On June 30th, Peter Martyr landed in Venice and immediately sought
audience of th