THE LOSS OF RHODES ad. 



1522. 

 The lord great master seeing that, anon cast down a part 

 of the church of our Lady de la Victoria, and of an other 

 church of S. Panthalion. And within they began to 

 make the repaires and traverses as at the place of Spaine, 

 whereto was made extreme diligence, but not such as 

 the lord would, and as was needfull, because there were 

 no labourers for to helpe. After that the enemies had 

 woon the most part of the bulwarke of England & the 

 plaine of Italy, they purposed to make assault to the sayd [11. i. 88 

 plaine, and to the breach of Spaine, and to enter into our 

 repaires to winne them for to make an end of us. And 

 for ever to affeeble the repaires and for to abash us, the 

 28 day of November all along the day and night they 

 ceased not to shoot great artillery, both from the brimmes 

 of the ditches with those great pieces, casting stones of 

 nine & eleven foot about, and from the mantellets with- 

 out. And as it was reckoned, they shot the same day 

 and night 1 50 times or more against our repaires and 

 traverses of the wall. 



And in the morning the 29 day of the same moneth, 

 the vigill of S. Andrew at the spring of the day, the 

 enemies went thorow the breach with their banners, and 

 entred into the repaires with greater number of people 

 then they did at the great battell in September, hardily 

 and furiously for to fight with us. But at their comming 

 in, the artillery of the traverses, and the handgunnes, and 

 the gunshot of the milles found them so well and so 

 sharply, that he that came in, was anon dispatched and 

 overthrowen, and there abode above 2000 of the Turks 

 slaine. The other that came after seeing their fellowes 

 so evill welcommed, as people that were astonied and lost, 

 they turned againe to their trenches : at whome the 

 artillery of the milles shot victoriously, and hasted them 

 to go apace : and by report from the campe there died 

 sixe thousand or mo that day : the which day might be 

 called very happy, and well fortunate for us, thanked be 

 God, for there was none that thought to escape that day, 

 but to have died all, and lost the towne : howbeit, the 



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