field of Saint Ladre, and six more upon Woolpheselme, which is a high mountaine on the south side of Sancerre, and commandeth the towne, as afterwards they found by experience. In four or five daies space, they discharged above three hundreth cannon shot, wherein fell out sundrie things worthie memorie. All this thunder hurt not any of the inhabitants, but one maid, who was slaine with the breath of a bullet, at one of the foure first shotte: so fierce was the storme, that the stones of the towne-wall, the paving stones, and shiuers of the timber of such houses as the cannon came unto, flew whistling in the ayre, broke the stockes of the hargubeziers in their hands, and uppon the shoulders of the besieged souldiers, rent and pierced their mandillians, hose, and hattes, yet never touched their bodies; namely, one bullit carried from a souldier, named Paullay, the crest of his murrian, but otherwise hurt him not. An other cannon shot, piercing through the wall, came with such violence, that lighting upon a barn, it bare away a great quarter of stone, which fell uppon a worthie man's backe, named Petit Boys, yet hurt him not. An other shotte lighting uppon the courtin and parapet of the towne, cast downe about a cart load of stones and brickbats, hard by the ministre of La Charitie, named John de Lery (from whom we have the whole discourse of this siege, whereat hee was from the beginning to the end) so as some flew betweene his legges with such violence, as any man may imagine, yet hit him not; as an other minister, named Molet, was in the pulpit, uppon Sunday, the eight of March, both hee and his whole auditorie were in manner overwhelmmed with the stones of a house, which a cannon shot had beaten downe, yet not any man slaine or wounded, onely some few, as it were, a little scratched. Now, albeit, the like batterie was still continued so furiously against the wals, that were but weak, wherein the beseigers discharged above six thousand cannon shot against the towne, yet of the besieged, there were not five and twentie slain by that means. About the end of Februarie, the besiegers laboured to surprise a revalin, when they were fiercely repulsed, and lost Capt. Druory, with five and twenty 1008 men of the olde bands, that were slaine in the place, besides a number of wounded, that they carried away. The continuall raine and snow did wonderfully annoy both parties, especially the besiegers, to whome the besieged, with artificial fires, burned a wooden bridge, covered with hurdles, wher under they used to come safe to the foote of the ravelin without disturbance; and it was thought they should have either stopped or mynded that ravelin, and therefore the besieged did immediately dig wells to countermyne that side. Three dayes afterwards, towards nine of the clock at night, the besiegers comming undesired through the trenches, entered the ditch, not farre from the breach of Londis, which they found so well kept, that with the losse of sundrie of their men slaine, and a number wounded, they were forced to retire. During the whole conflict, which was both long and sharpe, the besieged continually sung psalmes, whereuppon the besiegers discharged some shot from the artillerie, that lay uppon the hill called the Wolphes elme, which fel into the rampier, even under the feete of the besieged souldiers, which was theirwith shaken, yet had no farther hurt or harme. Having likewise learned by certaine pioners taken in a sallie, that the besiegers went about to sappe the ravelin of the olde gate, in one night they cut in two, and thereof made as it were a second and new one, which by the next morning was made defenceable. Uppon the seventeenth of March, there sallied some fortie souldiers, who surprised a corps de gard, slew some eighteene or twentie souldiers, and brought in a prisoner, who assured them of that which befell the next day; namely, that they should bee beeten with sixteen peeces, which indeede made great breach. The next day, the besiegers having, with all their peeces planted in three places, namely, in St. Ladres field, the Wolphes elme, and the smithes carroy, battered and beaten down all the towers and walles of the towne, and continued and made plane the breach, which was above three hundreth paces wide, their white ensign Colonel, followed by the rest, shewed itself in battell, all their men comming under covert through their trenches, even to the edge of the tower ditch, 1009 Siege of Sancerre. when they gave the assault as followeth. 1010 slings, neither could they make use of their other engines, in regard that this general assault was given sooner than they expected, by reason of the batterie that had continued all the morning. Sarrieu his regiment strooke in at the ende of the breach towards the Goose-gate, in a place called Londis Grange, when the fight was greatest, and to second him, came in the Lord The Sancerreans had, in this asof Chastre, generall of the armie, with sault, seventeen either slaine or his men at armes, who, with other wounded to death, besides a wench maistres, alighted, and that day fought | that was carried away with a cannon on foote. shott. The assailants left in the ditch, some threescore of the valiantest, besides some two hundreth that having their deadly woundes, died in their tents and lodgings, and as many more wounded, who, albeit they did not in time recover, yet carried their markes to their greaves. Thenceforth, the assaylants, understanding the state of the towne, resolved to shut up and starve the Sancerreans, through the multitude of forts that they erected hard by their wals, which, being made fencible, notwithstanding the defendants' skirmishes, they planted two culverins in the greatest end, and so returned the rest of their peeces to the towns where they tooke them, alwaies leaving sufficient strength round about to stop the besieged from coming forth, or receiving any relief out of the countrie. This assault was famous; for the assaylants came in good order to the breach, whereuppon they clambered, and seven or eight of the best armed and covered, came to hand in blowes, namely, Captaine Ros Sarrieu his ensign, who carried his ensign, and brought it back againe, after their repulse. The Lord of Bonniut, the gentlemen of the countrie, and Captaine Cartier, gave the second charge, whereuppon they came with such resolution,that some of them twice entered the breach. Among others, Fontain Carter's ensigne, one that had revolted from the religion, who was hurt, and so returned lame and halting. In this second onset, four ensigns, accompanied with four or five hundreth souldiers, valiantly entered the ditch, but in lieu of making straight to the breach, they joined close with the corner of the wall, which they did still beate with the ordinance, when they stayed with their ensigns, and could not bee indamaged by the towns-men, who were not able to stand uppon the wall that parted them, by reason of the volies of cannon shot. During the assault, fifteen hundreth labourers in the vines, with their slings, furnished with stones by the women and maides, wrought wonders, and wounded many of the enemies: even in the chiefest of the fight, a woman caught hold of a souldier's pike, and strove to wrest it out of his fist. A young man of the town, named Jalot, being in fight taken by a target man, and ledde away, as he descended into the ditch, called to his companions rather to shoote at him, than to suffer him to be carried away; whereuppon one of them lying on his face, aymed so right, that he kill'd the target man, and then Jalot, with his dagger, slewe another that had hold on him, and so escaping, returned through the breach to his fellowes. The defendants had no other defence but their small shott, swoords, and In the beginning of Aprill, one of the towne's souldiers slipping down the towne wall, came to the greater fort, and assured them that the defendants began to famish. Within two daies after, the besieged, in a sallie, slew some of their enemies, who, the surer to girt in the towne, erected new small forts, and nightly stood very carefully upon their guard, so that the defendants perceived that they ment to take them rather by their throats than by the fists. Hereuppon they sent abroad for succour, but some of their messengers were taken prisoners; others put to death one Capt. Fleur; others came no more again, or could not re-enter; neither could they, whatsoever they became, get any such succour as they pretended, neither indeed was there any means, by man's helpe to relieve them. Beinge thus every way shut upp by their irreconcilable enemies, from the beginning of Aprill, the want of flesh had, in one month, dispatched all their asses and moyles. In the end, they were constrained to eate horses, cattes, rattes, moles, mice, and dogges, hides of ox 1011 Siege of Sancerre. 1012 hunger: almost all the young children under twelve years of age died, and great pittie it was to heare the poore fathers and mothers lament and mourn; the greatest part of them, nevertheless, strengthening themselves with the assurance of the grace of God, of the which I will recite two notable accidents. caules, and sheepes skinnes, parch- | five and twentie or thirtie that died for ment, horsehouves, hornes of lanterns, halters, and furniture for horses, girdles of leather, hearbes and wilde rootes, and in the ende of June, the thirde part of the besieged eate no more bread. Such as could get linseede and other seedes which they never thought off, caused them to be grounde, or beate them in morters, and made bread thereof, as also of all sorts of hearbes, mixed with a little bran, if they could get it. They eat bread of straw meale, of powder of nutshels and of slate: suet, olde oyntment, and other olde grease, served to make pottage, and to frye the excrements of horses and of men; and the filth in the streetes was not spared. | On the twentieth of July, a poor labourer and his wife were taken and executed, for eating the head, the entrailes, and the braines of their daughter, of three years of age, that died of famine and miserie; having dressed all the rest of the bodie to eate it at other times. An other old woman lodged in their house, and that had eaten part of that costly banquet, died in prison not long after her apprehension. There were some that were found guiltie of other faultes, but that which agravated the latter fault was, that the same day, when they did the fact, they had been comforted with certaine pottage made of hearbes and wine, which might well have satisfied them in that time of necessitie. Such as went, and were put forth of the towne to seeke reliefe, seeking to passe, were either slaine by the enemie, or constrained by blowes with staves to turn back againe, and staying without, as not being able, or else would not enter into the towne, they lived of the sprigs of vines, blackberries in hedges, or red snailes, and of hearbes, and most of them died betweene the trenches and the ditches. Among other pettifull spectacles, the bodie of a labourer and his wife were found dead, one hard by the other, among the vines, and two of their children weeping by them, the lesser being but sixe weeks olde, which a reverent and charitable widow in the towne tooke home to her house. If many died among the vines hard by the trenches, and in the ditches, there died many more in the houses and streetes, where they fell downe in every place, and some daics they buried A young boy, of the age of five years, having languished certaine weekes, running along the streetes, in the end nature failing, fell downe before his father and mother, who at that instant, percieved the sinues of their infant to shrink in, as if they had been cut, and presently the body died. Another young boy of tenne yeares of age, lying at the poynt of death, heering and seeing his father and mother weeping and lamenting about him, whom he felt upon the armes and legges that were as drie as wood, said unto them, Why do you weepe in this sorte, to see me die for hunger? I ask you no breade, mother, for I know you have it not; but seeing it the will of God, that I should die in this sort, I must take it thankfully. The holy man, Lazarus, had hee not hunger? have I not reade that in the bible? and saying so, hee yielded his spirit unto God. Uppon the thirtieth day of July, the meanes that stayed the death of all this people failed. There were certaine horses of service reserved for the extremitie, and six kine kept to give milk for certaine young children, which beastes were killed, and the flesh sold to comfort those that lived, with a little corne, which some by stealth brought into the towne, cut and gathered by night, where a pound of corne was sold for halfe a crowne; but this means continued not long, by reason of the watch, which the enemie kept straight. The warre killed but eightie foure persons within Sancerre, but famine killed both within and without the towne, about five hundreth, besides those that languished; who, having escaped, had much paine and labour to recover themselves. During these miseries, divers souldiers and fugitives in Sancerre, got out by various meanes, shunning the famine, desiring rather to die by sword; some of them being slaine, the rest kept prisoners, and some executed: so all hope in man's judge 1013 Phænomena of Jupiter and Saturn. ment failing to those in Sancerre, the king having sworne that hee would make them to devour each other, the providence of the King of all kings holpe them by a strange meanes. Through the endeavours of the Bishop of Valance, Henry, Duke of Aniou, brother to the king, and his Lieutenant General in France, had been accepted for King of Poland, by the states of the relme, as hereafter wee will more declare. It fell out well for those of Sancerre that the ambassadours of Poland came into France, during their extremitie of famine, to fetch the Duke of Aniou; for they understanding that Sancerre was yet besieged, solicited the Bishop of Valance and Lansac his associate, to keepe the promise they had made and sworne unto them, in the name of their king their maister, to set at libertie all the townes and people of France, that were molested for the religion, which, not being wholly to be denied, the poor Sancerreans, half dead for hunger, (as yet all resolute to end their daies | in that sort, one after the other, before they would yeeld unto the enemie, that had so oftentimes threatened them with a generall massacre) were delivered by means of those good men, that came out of so far a countrie, and as it were, from the end of the world, their neighbours, and those of the countries next adjoining, not having the meanes, neither once seeking to aide them; so that in the end, after certaine conferences meeting and journying too and fro, hostages being given on each side, it was agreed that they should issue with their arms and goods, and such as would stay, not to be called in question for any thing past, permitting them to dispose of their goods as they thought good, with promise to preserve the honour of women and maides, uppon condition that the inhabitants and other fugitives should pay the summe of fortie thousand frankes to Monsier de Chastre. AN EPITAPTH. MR. EDITOR. 1014 Phænomena of Jupiter and Saturn, for the months of November und December of the present year. THE planets Jupiter and Saturn, the former of which, from its superior brightness is, by way of eminence, denominated the evening star, have, on account of their small angular distances, already attracted the attention of the curious; and will continue interesting objects of observation every unclouded evening for the remainder of the year. On the noon of the 1st day of November, the geocentric longitude of Saturn, will be 22 degrees and 2 minutes of the anastrous sign Aries; and that of Jupiter, for the same moment, 1 degree and 20 minutes further advanced in the same sign. The geocentric latitude of Saturn, i. e. his visible distance from the ecliptic, will, on the 1st of November, be 2 degrees 47 minutes south, and the geocentric latitude of Jupiter at the same time, 1 degree 33 minutes south. Their difference of latitude will, consequently, be 74 minutes, the evening star being nearest to the ecliptic. The heliocentric longitude of Saturn, at the astronomical commencement of November, i. e. on the noon of the 1st day of the civil month, will be 23 degrees 47 minutes of Aries, and the heliocentric longitude of Jupiter, 26 degrees 25 minutes of the same sign. Jupiter's daily motion in heliocentric longitude for November and December will be 5 minutes 27 seconds, and Saturn's 2 minutes 7 seconds. As Jupiter and Saturn have been recently in opposition to the sun, the latter on the evening of the 16th of October, at about a quarter before 11, and the former on the evening of the 18th, at about a quarter past 9, it follows (from (In St.Buryan Church-yard, Cornwall.) the great lengths of their revolutions round the sun, combined with the time which the earth employs in describing her orbit,) that these two great planets are not only retrograde in their apparent motions in the zodiac, but that these retrogradations will be continued 1015 Vindication of Lord Byron's Poetry. 1016 The meridian altitude of Saturn at London on the 1st of November, will be 441⁄2 degrees, and that of Jupiter 46 degrees 8 minutes. The meridian altitudes of Jupiter, during the two last months of the year, will be not less than 45 degrees 9 minutes, nor greater than 46 degrees 8 minutes; and those of Saturn will fluctuate between 43 degrees 51 minutes and 44 degrees. But it must be observed, that for every degree the latitude of the place of observation is greater or less than that of London, one degree must be sub altitude at London, to obtain the required altitude. Saturn sets on the morning of the 1st of November, at 36 minutes past 5, and every subsequent morning about 4 minutes 25 seconds earlier, so that on the morning of the last day of the year, the time of his setting will be at 9 minutes past 1. Jupiter sets on the morning of the 1st of November, about 12 minutes later than Saturn; and his time of setting every following morning will be earlier by about the same quantity that Saturn's setting is accelerated. nearly to the end of the year; for the time which elapses between the two stations of Jupiter, or the duration of his retrogradation, is about 120 days, i. e. 60 days before the opposition, and 60 days after. The duration of Saturn's retrogradation after his opposition in this synodical revolution will be 65 days. The geocentric motion of Jupiter will not be direct, or according to the order of the signs, till his geocentric and heliocentric longitudes differ from each other 10 degrees 18 minutes. This difference of the longitudes will take place on the 16th of De-tracted from,or added to, the meridian cember, when Jupiter, as seen from the earth, will be in 20 degrees and 14 minutes of Aries; but, as seen from the sun's centre, in 32 minutes of Taurus. The second station of Saturn will take place when his heliocentric and geocentric longitudes differ from each other 5 degrees 46 minutes. This will be on the 22d day of December, when his geocentric longitude will be 19 degrees 49 minutes of Aries, and his heliocentric 25 degrees 35 minutes of the same sign. The visible proximity of Jupiter and Saturn, and their long continuance, and considerable altitudes above the horizon of London, will give excellent and numerous opportunities for the observation of their satellites, and their various configurations, conjunctions, occultations, variations of splendour, transits, and eclipses. The points of time when the first satellite of Jupiter emerges out of the shadow of its primary (visible in Great Britain,) are the following:The 3d of November, at 37 minutes 50 seconds past 4 in the morning; the 4th, at 6 minutes 40 seconds past 11, night; the 6th, at 35 minutes 26 seconds past 5, evening; the 12th, at 1 minute 56 seconds past 1, morning; the 13th, at 30 minutes 43 seconds past 7, evening; the 19th, at 57 minutes 20 seconds past 2, morning; the 20th, at 26 minutes 9 seconds past 9, night; the 27th, at 21 minutes 47 seconds past 11, night; and the 29th, at 50 minutes 42 seconds past 5, evening. The 5th of December, at 17 minutes 27 seconds past 1, morning; the 6th, at 46 minutes 25 seconds past 7, evening; the 13th, at 42 minutes 15 seconds past 9, night; the 20th, at 38 minutes 8 seconds past 11, night; the 22d, at 7 minutes 4 seconds past 6, evening; and the 29th, at 3 minutes 3 seconds past 8, evening, Vindication of Lord Byron's Poetry, in "Stulta est clementia, quum tot ubique Vatibus occurras, perituræ parcere charta." JUVENAL. MR. EDITOR. SIR,-"Farce, comedy, and tragedy;" G. M.-H.-and G. J. in the same number of a Magazine, "assailing a single correspondent, are fearful odds." 66 "And thrice they slew the slain." Conscious, however, of the rectitude of my motives, and the equity of my cause; and knowing that "thrice is he armed who hath his quarrel just," I cheerfully proceed to the combat.In replying to these writers, I shall take them in the order above named; notwithstanding it is unusual to have the farce before the comedy or tragedy. Though G. M. is terribly chafed at my claiming the right of private judg ment, I cannot admit his dictum to be law. Passing over his petulance as unworthy of notice, I proceed to exa |