selves," returned Bertuccio, "they must be strange dullards. Here are two men, at the time of life when a man may enjoy himself if he will, and both of them possessing the will to enjoy themselves to any reasonable extent. Suddenly these two wise persons take a long voyage, for the sake of valiantly introducing themselves, with the chance of being summarily knocked on the head, into a kind of trap, where they are indulged with the certainty of being quickly starved to death. I, for one, am compelled to laugh outright at the whole proceeding, even if I think of it in the midst of the fighting."

"Yes," said Albert, "I have for some time considered that we have displayed at least as much valour as wit. But where we are we must remain, unless this report be true."

"That Bragadino means to capitulate. I do not see what he would gain by opening his gates now. These infidels will make such exorbitant demands, that no Christian will be able to listen to them. They will doubtless require, among other matters, that you and I immediately profess Mohammedanism, and take to our bosoms four wives eachthat is the legitimate number. Will you consent to this ?"

"I shall try to make terms for myself," said Albert; " and if they will concede the religious question, on which I am firm, I shall offer double on the other point, on which I am open to conviction."

"Eight wives!" said Bertuccio, again laughing-" why, your last lamented king espoused but six, I think. Is the defender of Famagusta privileged beyond the Defender of the Faith ?”

Albert was about to reply, when a figure upon the wall, at a short distance, fixed his attention. It was clearly not the form of a sentinel, but was dressed in a priest's garb, and was apparently stealing from them.

"We are watched," said the Englishman.

"And, apparently, by the vigilant eye of the church," said his companion. "Let us watch the watcher, nevertheless."

They followed the retreating figure for some distance, until they had reached the point where the sea and land rampart united. Here, looking to the right, they could discern the innumerable tents of the infidels whitening the plains around Famagusta, while the dark and terrific battery to which we have alluded seemed gloomily waiting for light, to enable it to direct its fiery tempest. The figure had stopped, and was engaged in looking over the wall upon the ground below. Suddenly, it drew back, hastily, and retired a step or two from the wall. The young soldiers watched with interest for a few moments, when a bald and grim head, obviously that of a Turk, appeared over the wall. It rose till about half the figure of the intruder was visible, and he peered around, as if about to climb upon the battlement. In an instant, the form which the young men had followed raised itself to its full height, and whirling an enormous crucifix in the air, dashed it full upon the exposed head of the Turk. With a single yell, the latter dropped backwards, and the heavy fall of the corpse was heard upon the ground beneath.

The slayer uttered a single laugh, and was immediately joined by the Italian and his friend.

"Bravely struck, father!" said the former, looking at the weapon which had done such good service-an iron crucifix, on the weighty arms of which there remained crimson evidence of the force of the blow. "These religious accolades are truly edifying."

"I looked not for idle mirth on a night like this," returned the other, in a deep, stern voice.

"Nay, father," said the Englishman, "do us the justice to believe that if we had the opportunity of breaking one of the jests, which seems alone to have the power to move your smiles, we should not neglect it. Would that there were another Turk to brain for your special delectation !"

"In the meantime, tell us, father," said the other young man, "why a less sanguinary jest seems a sin to you."

"Is not Cyprus lost?" asked the priest angrily.

"I would answer you, father, as the English clown answered the stranger, who, seeing a whole congregation in tears at an affecting sermon, inquired why that one clown alone was unmoved,—'I do not belong to the parish. I am not a Cypriote !"

"But you are a Christian," said the priest; "and though you now foolishly and profanely scoff, I have seen you both bear yourselves as true soldiers of the Cross,- -or I had not wasted these words on you."

"It is true, father," said the Italian, "we have fought in duty to the church, and we laugh because we find that duty a pleasure. I think that was elegantly as well as piously remarked.”

"Incorrigible trifler! Are ye disposed to atone for this levity by an act of real merit, and so win the love of the church ye talk of ?” "I will do no penance, father, if that be the act which is to gain the love in question-no flagellation into the church's affections-quos amat castigat-but anything in reason," said Bertuccio.

"Kneel down," said the monk, "and look over."

The young men were about to obey, rather prompted by curiosity than by any other feeling. For it was observed of most of the volunteer warriors in this, and in every other religious war, that their habits of submission to their spiritual superiors were very much relaxed by the one act of enlisting in the army of the church, most of them appearing, very irregularly, to consider that the merit of this service was such as to permit them to dispense with the formalities and proprieties by which less zealous men were bound; and the benefit of the idea has not been entirely lost even to the present day. But the unusual silence in the camp of the besiegers, who had hitherto spent the nights in repairing whatever damage to their works the well-sustained fire from the town had caused by day, attracted a remark from Bertuccio. In reply, the priest pointed to a moving body at a short distance from the walls. The eye of the young soldier instantly detected the object as a party of four of the infidel soldiers, who bore a light, which, however, they seemed to endeavour to screen from observation. In another minute the party had disappeared.

The Italian looked at his friend, and the glance was returned; but the faces of neither expressed much concern. The sight which they had witnessed from the rampart was one to which they had been too frequently accustomed during the siege. They were about to retire, when the monk, laying his hand upon the Englishman's arm, drew him to the edge of the wall, and shewed him a rope ladder which reached the earth below. Having pointed this out, the priest folded his arms, as if to see what course the young men would take. For a moment, the Englishman gazed at the means of descent, and then its meaning flashed upon his mind. With a quiet smile he shewed the

ladder to his friend. In another instant, both were upon the rope, and in little more time had reached the ground. As they touched it, the priest laughed a joyful laugh, and from the top of the wall pointed to the spot where the party had vanished.

Bertuccio and Langston drew their swords and hastened thither. Skirting a little mound of fresh-raised earth, they discovered the light resting on the ground, and the four Turks divesting themselves of their upper garments. The Christians drew back until this operation was completed, when one of the now half-naked infidels took up the light, and, raising his hand to Heaven for an instant, plunged into the mouth of a cave, which opened in the hill on which the rampart stood. His three companions followed him, and then close upon their footsteps came the Englishman and Bertuccio.

"More of our wisdom," said the latter, in a whisper; fates are made for us."

"but our

As the latter entered, Langston, changing his sword hand, took that of Cornaro. One warm grasp exchanged, the Christian soldiers pressed on. Suddenly, the direction of the cave altered, and they lost sight of the light. But still advancing, they regained the traces of the infidels, until a second turning brought the latter to a halt. At that moment, the hindmost Turk discovered his pursuers, and uttered a cry, which was instantly smothered in the death-rattle-the sword of Albert had passed completely through his body. Springing forward, over the corpse, Bertuccio struck at the infidel who bore the lamp, and cleaving him to the eye, grasped at the light. But the other two rushed upon him, and bore him to the ground-one of them succeeding in gaining the lamp, while the other struggled with the Italian. The blade of Albert inflicted a fearful gash upon the shoulder of the Turk, who, uttering a few words in his own language, fastened, with hands and teeth, upon the throat of the prostrate Bertuccio, but his head was, the next instant, nearly severed from his body by a second blow from the Englishman's sword. The latter rushed furiously on, after the last Turk, the glimmer of whose lamp lighted the gloomy passage along which they hastened, and the fatal character of which Albert knew too well. He redoubled his speed, conscious that to strike the infidel dead was the only chance of salvation from a terrible doom. The Turk fled before him with a speed which shewed he knew the passages, and twice the Christian lost sight of him, at each of which moments Albert underwent the most terrible sensation which a brave man can endure. Twice, however, the infidel again appeared, and his foot suddenly slipping, the Christian was upon him. Albert's thrust transfixed him to the earth, but, writhing on the blade, the infidel seized the fallen lamp, and flung it from him, with the utmost of his expiring strength. The eye of Albert followed the light, as it dashed upon a small, dark heap, in a corner. At the selfsame moment, an explosion, louder than the loudest thunder, shaking the earth for a mile around, called forth the inhabitants of Famagusta, to see that the infidels had levelled their rampart wall. But the Crescent banner was floating over the city, when a dying monk, who had atoned for his heroic exertions in the final sally by one of the most hideous martyrdoms on record, revealed to a few trembling Christians, who dared wipe the death-damp from his brow, that the young favourites of Famagusta lay buried in the Last Mine.

inhabitants for a suitable reception to their sovereign. At an early hour, the town was thronged with strangers from the neighbouring towns and villages, and later on, crowds began to arrive from London; some having come along the highways on horseback, and others having rowed in various craft up the river. All were clad in holiday apparel, and the streets presented an appearance of unwonted bustle and gaiety. The may-pole in Bachelors' Acre, was hung with flowers. Several booths, with flags floating above them, were erected in the same place, where ale, mead, and hypocras, together with cold pasties, hams, capons, and large joints of beef and mutton, might be obtained. Mummers and minstrels were in attendance, and every kind of diversion was going forward. Here was one party wrestling; there, another casting the bar; on this side, a set of rustics were dancing a merry round with a bevy of buxom Berkshire lasses; on that, stood a fourth group listening to a youth playing on the recorders. At one end of the Acre large fires were lighted, before which two whole oxen were roasting, provided in honour of the occasion, by the mayor and burgesses of the town; at the other, butts were set, against which the Duke of Shoreditch, and his companions, the five marquesses, were practising. The duke himself shot admirably, and never failed to hit the bull's eye; but the great feat of the day was performed by Morgan Fenwolf, who thrice split the duke's shafts as they stuck in the mark.

"Well done!" cried the duke, as he witnessed the achievement; "why, you shoot as bravely as Herne the hunter could have done. Old wives tell us that he used to split the arrows of his comrades in that fashion."

"He must have learnt the trick from Herne himself in the forest," cried one of the bystanders.

Morgan Fenwolf looked fiercely round in search of the speaker, but could not discover him. He, however, shot no more, and refusing a cup of hypocras offered him by Shoreditch, disappeared among the crowd."

Soon after this, the booths were emptied, the bar thrown down, the may-pole and the butts deserted, and the whole of Bachelors' Acre cleared of its occupants-except those who were compelled to attend to the mighty spits turning before the fires,-by the loud discharge of ordnance from the castle gates, accompanied by the ringing of bells, announcing that the mayor and burgesses of Windsor, together with the officers of the order of Saint George, were setting forth to Datchet Bridge, to meet the royal procession. Those who, most promptly obeyed this summons beheld the lower castle gate, built by the then reigning monarch, open, while from it issued four trumpeters clad in emblazoned coats, with silken bandrols depending from their horns, blowing loud fanfares. They were followed by twelve henchmen, walking four abreast, arrayed in scarlet tunics, with the royal cipher, H.R., worked in gold on the breast, and carrying gilt pole-axes over