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night. Tho war indeed would have ended on that day if our cavalry had coinè out as was arranged. 1 hoard all this from Turks and some Christians during the time that I was a prisoner in their hands. But to our infinite min and disgrace the Lieutenant upset the arrangements, and would not allow any of the mount ed men to leave the city; the reason was that ho trusted very greatly to the nobles for the defence of the city, and feai-ed they might be killed or made prisoners. And when some noble youths, knights, among whom was Messel- Gio. Fallier, an illustrious Venetian of courage and hononr, wished to go out secretly with their vizors lowered and mixed np with some stradiots they were recognised by the Lieutenant who was standing for this very purpose at the gate, and got angry and forbade anyone else to go out, either of these or even of the stradiots, aud left those poor soldiers, who were victorious and expected to be supported by onr horse, to lie attacked by the cavalry of the enemy, aud thrown into confusion and routed. There were left dead Captain Piovene and Count Alberto Scotto : the Lieutenant of Captain Pochipani was taken prisoner, and many other Italian and Greek soldiers, a hundred in all. The rest retired by the same gate : they earned off muskets, scimitars, bows, tulipanti aud other spoil nbandonod by the Turks. A musket was taken damascened in silver which was sold for thirty scudi. From that day forth do what we would, no further sortie was allowed, as though we had agreed to let the enemy come upon us without resistance to destroy us. By the advice of Colonel Palazzo da Fano two réduits were made in the two bastions Podecattero and Constanze, and according to the same officer's design the throats of the two bastions were narrowed : in the Avila and Tripoli bastions we made a simple réduit designed by me Giovanni Sosomeno, leaving not a foot of space for the enemy. Wo could no longer prevent the Turks from completing a level and easy ascent for their attacks. They made fifteen in forty-five days, now on one bastion, now on two, now on all four at once ; all of them were bravely repulsed by us with great slaughter on both sides as well as with great consumption of balls, rockets and other fireworks, so that verily we were compelled to write in cypher to Famagnsta, bidding thorn send us reinforcements of infantry, and with them Signor Astorre. And because the answer tarried, we thought onr messengers had been taken, as they were : for the Turks displayed them to ns as prisoners, so that seeing we were cut off from help we might surrender. Whereon we were again obliged to send Captain Giobat. Colombo, knowing him to be a man of judgment and weight; who after he had pleaded our cause at Famagosta returned with very great peril of his life 'without any supports. To the same end we wrote in cypher to those who were in the mountain; these messengers too were taken and shown to us by the Turks, to make us feel sure that from no quarter could wo get help, and so to surrender. The last assault was made on the ninth of September, and began at dawn with tremendous vigour and men innumerable, so that the attacks never slackened for want of fresh troops, and all four bastions were assailed at once. At the Podecattero, Caraman Pasha (whose family name was Remoliti) led the Carainaniau troops. At the Constanze was Muzaffer Pasha and his men. At the Avila and Tripoli bastions were Mustafa aud Ali Pasha, one of the commanders of eighty galleys of the fleet. All these led at the same time most furious charges. The defenders of the Constanzo, Arila and Tripoli bastions withstood the attacks, and repulsed the enemy without allowing them to get over the parapet. The slaughter was great on both sides, but much more on that of tho Turks, In the Podecattero bastion however, I know not from what lack of arrangement, neither the commanders nor the soldiers were of the temper needed for so great a task, so that without check from our men the Turks got in and made themselves masters of the platform and the réduit. The few Italians who were there present fought with spirit and 84 EXCERPTA CYPRIA.

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