58 THE HISTORY OF THE ORDER OF [book iv.

personal safety), under pretext of wounds, departedfor Borgo, not without disapprobation; but gainedshortly afterwards the valiant and honourabledeath that became him in defending that town.Others, that is, of the privates (for not one of theofficers would sign it, much less any knight of theorder, though some few of them were thought in-ternally to assent to it) wrote to the grand masterwith the intention of obliging him to recall them.“We came to defend a fortress, this is such nolonger, but without counterscarp or ramparts. Theravelin has been built up to the roof; we canneither offend the Turks, nor defend ourselves.So send no more succours, for they would be onlyso many mor e lost; for unless boats come take usaway this very night, at the toll of nightfall, weare resolved to force a sortie, and die as becomessoldiers. June 8th, 1565.’’

The grand master’s only reply was that on hisword of honour Toledo’s re-inforcements were onthe point of arriving, and that a renegade justarrived from the Moslem camp had assured himthe Turkish engineers had discovered St. Elmocould not be mined, as planted on a living rock;that they had tried to mine it, but totally in vain;but however, if resolute to abandon St. Elmo, tolet him know first, that he might send gunners to