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were cut to pieces, as well as the nobles with them. But the country folk of the cemide, and those who were collected at the last moment in the city, behaved badly : some of them let themselves down through the embrasures and along the curtain and fled into the country. When the Coadjutor heard this he ran with his brothers, Colonel Palazzo and other gentlemen to the help of this bastion. Though he came up late he tried with very great valour to drive back the enemy, but their numbers were so great that they got in and killed him, his brothers, the Colonel aud all the gentlemen who accompanied him. The other bastions were held until the Turks had forced an entrance into the city and closed in on their rear, pushing through the throat of the works. Then followed a horrid, a pitiful, spectacle. Our unhappy defenders were savagely slaughtered, caught between two fires and knowing not whither to turn, where to seek safety. Yet just a few of them saved their lives by rushing among the enemy and escaping from the bastions into the city. These collected in the narrow lanes with a few of the citizens and held their own. Some country folk of the cemide came up, but when they saw the crowd of Turks and the slaughter of onr men they turned round, nor could we by any means make them stand : they even turned their arms on those who wanted them to face the foe. There was random fighting in all the streets and squares, with no order, no leaders. The slaughter lasted until three o'elock, those who resisted were killed, those who surrendered were made prisoners. At last the Pasha arrived in the city. Seeing the great slaughter, and finding many armed men both in the Palace Square and elsewhere, he bid his own men cease fighting, and exhorted ours to surrender, promising to save their lives if they laid down their arms. Many did so. The nobles who snrvived were some twenty-five or thirty, with no great number of citizens. Such was the miserable end of that most unhappy city of Nicosia. If this capital (and the remainder of the Kingdom) had had a good government and a larger number of soldiers it might have held out for a long time, as long in fact as it had victuals. Further, I am strongly of opinion that if the strength of the Kingdom had been fully known, not only could the landing of troops have been delayed, but if a landing had been made so much injury eould have been inflicted that the enemy wonld have readily changed their plans. Thus if a choice could have been made of six to seven thousand horses (I inelude our mares), some of them fit for lancers lightly equipped, others for our best musketeers—besides these, if we eould have shown twenty-five thousand francomatti on the hills near the Salines, iu full sight of the troops on the fleet, giving these last the idea that they would be attacked in the open country—anyhow, even allowing that we had neglected to take the necessary measures to prevent the Turks landing at the Salines, I was of opinion (and I submitted a statement to that effect to the Lieutenant of the Kingdom) that we could defend Nicosia and drive back the enemy with the cavalry which we had in the city : for there were five hundred stradiate, besides the horses of the feudatories and mounted men raised for the occasion with others who were not obliged to serve on horseback, who could make up in all a thousand or more war-horses, besides a large number of haeks good enough for musketeers. Of these I wanted to pick out the best, and post them with the stradiots, who would always have been ready to charge the enemy's flank if they got in, for the ground between the walls and the houses is so broad and open that a large force of cavalry, twenty and more abreast, eould have joined battle there. And in the last assault, when we were all in order and fully prepared, the enemy on their entry might have been attacked on both flanks and easily repulsed. But as it was our men were not used to the weapons given them to use on foot, and did little to help the defence of the walls. Cavaliere Magi, an engineer sent by the Signory, was present when I gave my opinion and maintained it against Colonel Palazzo, who thought otherwise. SOZOMENO.

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