33S KOGKJ; οκ WENDOVKR. [Λ .li . 1-210. their besieged companion!) ut Rochester exposed to the danger of death, and enduring all kinds of misery. When tinking learned how pompously the barons had approached to raise the siege, and bow basely and ignominiously they bad returned, be became bolder, and sent out foragers in all directions to collect provisions for the support of his army, and yet did not allow the besieged in the meantime any rest day or night ; for amidst the stones hurled from the petrarias and slings, and the missiles of the cross-bow men and archers, frequent assaults were made by the knights and their followers, so that when some were in a measure fatigued, other fresh ones succeeded them in the assault ; and with these changes the besieged had no rest. The besieged too, despairing of any assistance from the barons, endeavoured to delay their own destruction, for they were in great dread of the cruelty of the king ; therefore, that they might not die unavenged, they made no small slaughter amongst the assailants. The siege was prolonged many days owing to the great bravery and boldness of the besieged, who hurled stone for stone, weapon for weapon, from the walls and ramparts on the enemy : at last, after great numbers of the rovai troops had been slain, the king, seeing that all his warlike engines took but little effect, at length employed miners, who soon threw down a great part of the walls. The provisions of the besieged too failed them, and they were obliged to eat horses and even their costly chargers. The soldiers of the king now rushed to the breaches in the walls, and by constant tierce assaults they forced the besieged to abandon the castle, although not without great loss on their own side. The besieged then entered the tower amidst the attacks of the king's soldiers, who had entered the castle through the breaches ; but William d'AIbiuey with his soldiers, after slaying many id' them, compelled them to quit it. The king then applied his miners to the tower, and having after much difficulty broken through the walls, an opening was made for the assailants; but while his army was thus employed, they wire often compelled to retreat front the destruction caused in their ranks by the besieged. At length, not a morsel of provisions remaining amongst them, William d'Albiney and the other nobles who were with him, thinking it would be a disgrace to them to die of hunger when they