200

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP.

LXVIII.

the rampart with their missile weapons. Norshould this prudence be accused of pusillani-mity. The nation was indeed pusillanimousand base; but the last Constantine deserves thename of a hero: his noble band of volunteerswas inspired with Roman virtue; and the foreignauxiliaries supported the honour of the Westernchivalry. The incessant vollies of lances andarrows were accompanied with the smoke, thesound, and the fire of their musketry and can-non. Their small arms discharged at the sametime either five, or even ten balls of lead, of thesize of a walnut; and, according to the close-ness of the ranks and the force of the powder,several breastplates and bodies were transpiercedby the same shot. But the Turkish approacheswere soon sunk in trenches, or covered withruins. Each day added to the science of theChristians; but their inadequate stock of gun-powder was wasted in the operations of eachday. Their ordnance was not powerful, eitherin size or number; and if they possessed someheavy cannon, they feared to plant them on thewalls, lest the aged structure should be shakenand overthrown by the explosion.' The samedestructive secret had been revealed to the Mos-lems ; by whom it was employed with the supe-rior energy of zeal, riches, and despotism. The

0 At indies doctiores nostri facti paravere contra bostes machina-inenta, quae tamen avare dabantur. Pulvis erat nitri modica exigua ;tela modica; bombard®, si aderant incommoditate loci primum bosteioffendere maceriebus alveisque tectos non poterant. Namsiquae mag-nae erant, ne mums concuteretur noster, quiescebant. This passageof Leonardos Chiensis is curious and important.