_ 153 _ arms every four days and carry out maneuvers around the square and the captain’s house. Once these are completed, a quarter of them separate and go to guard the walls and portal of the city, and these guards are very strong. One of them is extremely strong, facing the sea, which beats against the wall, and here there is a large, strong castle in the water with heavy artillery to defend and protect the port, which is entered by carracks, ships and galleys. The city has three gates on the landward side with iron drawbridges across the ditch; on the seaward side it has two. These soldiers do not always reside here throughout the time of the captain, but two or three hundred are brought and about the same number taken back to Venice, so that none of them stay for a whole year; this is so that they do not put down roots and make friends in the land. There are about two thousand citizens in the island, all Greek Christians, by whom the whole island is inhabited, and a few Jews. The majority speak and understand Italian because of the great trade they have with the Italians. There is also much trade with Turks, Armenians, Arabs and other nationalities. On the north side from this is the coast of Caramania, another forty leagues away.
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