Henry at the Siege of Vilna 199 



galle [properly, Skirgiello] fled for his savegard, was, by the valour 

 of the sayd Earle especially and of his followers, surprised and 

 taken. For certaine of the chiefe men of his familie, while others 

 were slouthfull or at least ignorant of their intent, skaling the walles, 

 advanced his colours thereupon/ And there were taken and {vel) 

 slaine foure thousand of the common souldiers, and amongst others 

 was slaine the king of Poland his brother," who was our professed 

 enemie. And the castle of the foresaid Citie was besieged for the space 

 of five weekes : but by reason of the infirmities and inconveniences 

 wherewith the whole armie was annoyed, the great masters of 

 Prussia^ and of Lifland would not stay any longer. There were 

 converted of the nation of Lettowe eight persons unto the Christian 

 faith. And the master of Lifland carried home with him into his 

 countrey three thousand captives. 



II 

 [John of Posilge {S. R. P. 3- 164-7), in D. A., pp. cvii-cix.] 

 In this year, before the Assumption of the Virgin [Aug. 15], the 

 Duke of Lancaster (Langkastel)* sailed by way of Dantzic^ to Prussia 

 with some three hundred men,® and, after buying horses and making 

 preparations, set out with the Marshal' on an expedition (reyse) to 

 Vilna. . . . When he [the Marshal] learned that Skirgiello 

 (Skirgal) lay with a force on the Nerya,^ they planned to send the 

 boats up the Memel, and let the extra horses and the common people 

 go forward** with all speed, while they selected the best in the army, 

 and made their way through the Wilderness above Kovno, where 



approaches 200,000, having nearly doubled since 1883. Recent events 

 have brought it into prominence. 



^A certain yeoman of Lord Bourchier's received $150 because he was 

 the first to lay hold of Henry's banner on the wall (D. A., pp. xxx; 

 105. 9; 302). A gunner-archer (name not given), who was on the wall 

 in the presence of Henry, received $25 {ih. 105. 24). Others to receive 

 special rewards for services before Vilna were several miners {ih. 

 105. 20) and engineers {ih. 106. i). 



^ Korygiello, baptized as Casimir, in command of the upper house. 



^The Grand Master, Conrad Zollner of Rothenstein, was not present; 

 see above, note 2. 



* Of course an error. 



'He was at Dantzic on Aug. 9 and 10 {D. A., p. xxxvi). 



'Lucy Toulmin Smith believes 150-200 would be nearer the mark 

 {D. A., p. xlv). 



^ Miss Smith thinks he came up with the marshal on Aug. 22, probably 

 near Ragnit {D. A., p. xxix). 



^'Near where the Nerya (Wiliye) falls into the Memel,' also called 

 the Niemen {D. A., p. xxix). 



"'With the vessels' (i:>. ^., p. xxix). 



