Page:Destruction of the Greek Empire.djvu/475

 APPENDICES APPENDIX I NOTE ON ROMANUS GATE AND CHIEF PLACE OF FINAL ASSAULT Some doubt exists as to the position of the Eomanus Gate men- tioned by the historians of the siege, and as this position deter- mines those of the great gun, of the stockade, and of the principal place of the final assault, it is desirable to endeavour to set such doubt at rest. What I desire to show may be summed up in the following propositions. (1) That contemporary writers agree in stating that the princi- pal place of attack and the final assault was at or near the Gate of St. Bomanus. (2) That the present Top Capou had long been known as the Gate of St. Eomanus. (3) That there is evidence to demonstrate that the final assault was not at or near Top Capou but in the Lycus valley. (4) That the Pempton is the Gate referred to by contemporary writers as the Eomanus Gate. Among the evidence showing that the principal place of attack was at or near the Eomanus Gate is the following : Barbaro (p. 21) states that four great guns were ' alia porta de San Eomano dove che sun la piu debel porta de tuta la tera. Una de queste quatro bombarde che sun a la porta da San Eomano ' was the big gun cast by Orban. On p. 16 he speaks of an attack as being against ' le mure da tera de la banda de San Eomano.' On p. 26 he mentions the destruction of a tower, pre- sumably the Bactatinean, spoken of by Leonard. This tower was with a portion also of the wall (' con parechi passa de muro '). On
 * de la banda de San Eomano.' It was destroyed by the big gun