View PDF version of this page

CALERÒ. 137 those who had any. Wood was scarce, though everyone had enough to hake his bread ; but they used the rafters of our convent, which was already in ruins, on the fortifications, and to that end our Fathers gave them willingly enough, as well as beams fur the cavalier, and for the eleven or twelve stockade.?, built on the bastions and in other places, su many thousand solid raifcors, and sixtaen hundred more to make carnages for the guns. A little grain was all thajbwas given to those wretched artisans, who had no means of living, and who were always on guai-d, and at the mercy of the enemy. A few of the plebeian soldiers murmured against certain nobles who went to sleep in their own honsee, and their commanders ordered bliese all to come to their quarters, either on the bastions or in the shelters below. The chiefs only slept in their houses, and every day, morning and evening, their food was brought up by their servants. In the next assault. Captain Berettino died. And again on the next day, in another attack, Signor Febbo Zappe, Captain of one half of the gentlemen, was killed on the ramparts by a cannon ball. The enemy had now destroyed the angles of the bastions and the parapets, and completed a convenient approach ; they drove a donkey up it, and kept crying in mockery, " don't hurt the poor ass, it can do you no harm 1 " Then they shouted, "surrender, for you are in a bad way," and shot in a letter tied to an arrow, saying the same thing. Beset by so many and great dangers the inhabitants not only kept up continual pro-cessions, but also made a vow to the Divine Majesty to build a church called S. Maria della Vittoria, if, through the merits of Christ's most tender Mother, our Jntereessor, we drove back the foe : and they called me and gave me the charge of collecting the alms of all, and in three days I found more than two thousand ducats, and hoped to find the rest, but certain Greeks shocked ine greatly, who (to put the seal on their iniquities, and invite Heaven the sooner to visit them with the just pnnislnnent of their schism) would give me no alms because öhe church would be of the Latin rite. There were not wanting rich men also who gave little or nothing when they might have given their hundreds. About August oO Piali Pasha returned from Rhode« with news of the position of our fleet, and feeling certain that it was not likely tu come so very soon so reported to Mustafa Pasha, who ordered the immediate supply of everything necessary for the capture of the city. The Turks now came to request- one hour's truce, which was granted to them. Their parley was about many things, but the gist of it all was to exhort ns to surrender. Our chiefs replied with spirit, provoking them to attack us again, and one rash fool even began to fire upon them. On the next day followed a furious cannonade, and volleys of musketry more continuons than before, but when they came to the charge they were repulsed with small loss on either side. All our soldiers murmured that they were not given sufficient powder and balls : the gunners especially, who sent their commander to get a further supply. He came tu the gate leading to Famagosta, and there in the presence of Bishop Contarmi and other nobles the Proveditor was wroth with him, and with threats and angry words told this chief gunner that he ought not to use cannon of great calibre, but smerigli (three or four pounders) and the like, adding that this was the intention and advice of Signor Julio Savorgnano. The gunner answered that so great a man never held such an opinion, that pieces of this kind should be used in repulsing an attack: however, they must have patience. Mustafa Pasha sent off two chawushes with all speed with letters, one to Piali, the other to Ali Pasha, exhorting them that being now certain of the delay of the Christian fleet they were quite sure of taking Nicosia; nothing was wanting but a strong force, because such easy approaches had been constructed, with strong traverses on every side that horsemen c. 18

View PDF version of this page