72

THE HISTORY OR THE ORDER OF [book iv.

four heavy cannons, as lugubriously ceaseless asever . 1

About then we had another mishap. The millfor grinding gunpowder at St. Angelo’s blew up ;and not only a large quantity of the compositionwas worse than lost, but likewise the materials forcomposing it burned, and ten of the workmenkilled ; and to inquire if merely accident (as it was)a commission was sent from Borgo of two; one ofwhom was Sir Oliver Starkey, and twenty-fivestone weight of gunpowder was administered fromCitta Vecchia for immediate use.

The heavy Turkish battery still on the increasewere now thirty-six . 2 A second general assaultwas given, worse than the first; because by thecovered way, St. Elmo was entirely insulated andcut off completely from all mortal succour. Stillit refused to surrender. The word capitulation hadindeed altogether ceased to be named by eitherparty. In this second, Montserrat was among thekilled; and Miranda, Eguaras, and Mas of the dan-gerously wounded. None of them so blind as not tobe quite aware of their situation, as not to know itwas contrary to military calculation; yet the ten-derness of honour and sublime devotedness to theChristian creed, kept them perfectly reconciled to1 Bosio: par. iii. 566. 2 Id., id. 568.