The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 05: Central and Southern EuropeHakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 05: Central and Southern Europe
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
well and behoouefull to be done, by great diligence night and day by mines
they voided the barbican, and the most part of the earth that lay in the
ditch was brought into the towne, the which was hurtfull afterward, and was
cause that the enemies got the foot of the wall. Notwithstanding, they had
it but scarsely. But this cleansing furthered the time, and caused them to
get it sooner then they should haue done if the earth had lien still: but
their finall intent was to raise the defence of the bulwarks, and then
passe at their pleasure, and enter into the barbican, as they haue done:
for the enemies seeing that the barbican was clensed, thought to get into
it by the trenches, and so they did, howbeit they were certaine dayes
letted by our handgun shot The enemies seeing, that they might not come
neere it, couered their trenches with tables to saue themselues: and then
they made a mine whereby they might goe to the barbican. So by these two
meanes, afterward they were repaired with earth and with a certaine wall
that they made for to eschew the shot of the bulwarks of Auuergne and
Spain: and in the mine they found but two gunners, which they slew by force
of men. By this manor they being couered on all parts and without any
danger, passed thorow and lept into the barbican, and got the foot of the
wall; which was the 17 day of October, an vnhappy day for the poore towne,
and occasion of the ruine thereof, and winning of the same.
At this point they slept not, but lightly and with great delight they began
to picke and hew the wall. And weening to make remedy therefore, and to
finde meanes to driue them from the sayde barbican with engines of fire and
barrels of gunpowder, wee slew many of them, but it auailed nothing: for
the quantitie and multitude of people that trauelled there was so great,
that they cared not for losse of them. And if we had had men enow within
the towne, there might haue bene remedy to haue raised them from thence:
but considering that our force and totall hope was in people, wee left to
doe many things that might haue beene done, and that should haue bene good
then and other times also, for fault of men of warre. At the last it was
pondred by Sir Gabriel Martiningo, that there was no remedy but to hew the
wall for to meet them; and beat them with ordinance and with engins of fire
to burne and vndoe them. Then our men began to hew the wall, and made some
holes to shoot at the enemies that slept not, but did as wee did, and shot
at vs, and indeed they slew and hurt many of our men. Then Sir Gabriel
Martiningo ordeined to make repaires within the towne at the front where
they did cut the wall, to the end that after the walles were cut, the
enemies should know with whom to meet. The trauerses were made on ech side
with good artillery great and small: and the sayd trauerses and repaires
were of the length that the enemies had cut the wall, and beganne at the
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