70 THE HISTORY OF THE ORDER OF [book ill.

The women fought like brave men during thesiege, and wore the dress of males . 1 So that notto allow Turks were beaten by women and Giaours,was probably what made Khodgia Effendi’s Mos-lem vanity attribute the discomfiture to thevizier's avarice, in forbidding plunder, that all thebooty might go into his own pocket . 2 Howeverthat be, it was a mortal wound to Mahomet theSecond, that his great army and favourite had beenoverthrown by D’Aubusson, who, with all his cele-brity, was only a Christian.

Perhaps it was enough for his simplicity not tomention himself, but only that the succours wentup by those ladders ; yet is it not right in us toadd what is known of the full truth, that alightingfrom his horse, he led those succours up by theforemost ladder himself, and was the first in thewhole battle on the wall ? and in his heroic effortsreceived four severe wounds, the last of which wasjudged mortal by the surgeons, who visited it, butwhose prognostics did not make him leave the wallor combat; nor did he fall from the loss of blooduntil the day was won, and then he was carried tohis bed, where, in spite of his violent pains, he re-ceived the gallant knights, who presented him

1 Bouhours: Vie d’Aubusson, iii. 159.

2 Id.: Id., iii. 163.