elieve the city, I hereby beseech the said noble Burgomaster to do his
utmost, with aid of all and sundry those brave and honourable burghers
by whom he is at this present sustained, to maintain and defend the
said post until my arrival; and to that end to encourage and hearten
all men, as hitherto hath been so notably done by him, that they may
not make surcease for so few days of that stedfast toil and bravery
which they have heretofore shown. May God have all in his keeping!'

The receipt of these cheering messages revived the spirits of the
besieged--a service the more necessary because the enemy, getting word
that a hostile army was on the march, made strenuous efforts to gain
possession of the town. The fortifications, many of which were now
little more than heaps of rubbish, were still obstinately defended by
the unconquerable bravery of the besieged. Pieces of both the outer
and inner walls, twenty and thirty ells in length, had been destroyed
by mines and artillery-fire, and their downfall had in many places
choked up the moat. Some of the barbicans before the gates were in the
enemy's possession, and even the Peter Gate itself. The towers that
guarded the town resembled ancient ruins; and the defensive works were
now chiefly represented by wooden galleries, palisadoes, piles of
gabions, and the walls of half-destroyed houses, behind which, however,
the besieged found shelter, from which they still kept up a vigorous
fire. The underground war, too, was still hotly maintained; and when,
as often happened, the hostile sappers heard the sounds of each other's
voices, emulation still excited them to struggle as if for life and
death.

On February 14th the Swedes attempted to storm two of the defenders'
positions, and advanced to the assault with loud shouts and in
considerable force. A few bold soldiers, indeed, succeeded in making
good their entrance into one of the towers; but the besieged, in
expectation of this attack, had filled the inside of the tower with
wood and other combustibles. Fire was set to these materials, and to
the gallery adjoining the tower, and thus the enemy was compelled to
withdraw. Meantime, behind the burning ruin, the citizens constructed
a new defensive work, and both here and in the breach offered so brave
a resistance, that the foe, after repeated attempts, was once more
baffled and compelled to fall back.

In the evening of the same day Roller appeared at home with his hea