BOOK THE FIFTH.
181
And tedious, how with many a bold assault
The men of Orleans rush'd upon their foes;
How fell the Tournelles (where in time of peace
Justice had held her seat), and that strong tower[1] 425
That shadowed from the bridge the subject Loire;
Tho' numbering now three thousand daring men,
Frequent and fierce the garrison repell'd
Their far out-numbring foes. From ev'ry aid
Included, they in Orleans groan'd beneath 430
All ills accumulate. The shatter'd roofs
Gave to the midnight dews free passage there.
And ever and anon with hideous crash
Some house fell; starting from his scanty rest
The wearied soldier. Thro' the streets were seen 435
The frequent fire, and heaps of dead, in haste
Piled up and steaming to infected Heaven.
The men of Orleans rush'd upon their foes;
How fell the Tournelles (where in time of peace
Justice had held her seat), and that strong tower[1] 425
That shadowed from the bridge the subject Loire;
Tho' numbering now three thousand daring men,
Frequent and fierce the garrison repell'd
Their far out-numbring foes. From ev'ry aid
Included, they in Orleans groan'd beneath 430
All ills accumulate. The shatter'd roofs
Gave to the midnight dews free passage there.
And ever and anon with hideous crash
Some house fell; starting from his scanty rest
The wearied soldier. Thro' the streets were seen 435
The frequent fire, and heaps of dead, in haste
Piled up and steaming to infected Heaven.
"For
- ↑ Line 425. "The bulwark of the Tournelles being much shaken by the besiegers cannon, and the besieged thinking it proper to set it on fire, the English extinguished the flames, and lodged themselves in that post. At the same time they became masters of the tower on the bridge, from whence the whole city could be viewed."Rapin.
