Duke de Modena, another by the Earl of Broglio
his quarters: The first instant very carly Prince
Thomaso came to the Abbey, which he view'd,
and then was the trenches opened, and the work
so carried on, that some of our men came within
a little distance of the counterscarf, about midnight
the enemy shewed some fire upon one of
their Steeples, and withall did ring the bells for a
good while. The second day the Prince went in
the afternoon to view the Lines, and at night to
see the works, the besieged made fores all the
night long, and during that time did not spare
any shot great or shall, and for all that killed
only two lievtenants of Foot, a Dutch Enginier,
and a few Souldiers, and some wounded; nevertheless
we went on bravely with our works;
the same day we cut off from the besieged a
water which doth now make all their Mills useless,
having no other at present but with horses
and some handmills; The third and fourth days
were imployed to the finishing our batteries,
and in that work a Captain of the Regiment of
Carignan was slain, 3 Officers, one Enginer, 2
souldiers, and 5 wounded; the night following
they made a strong sally, but were beaten in
again. The fifth they did make a greater sally,
and many flain on both sides, but they were
beaten into their very Gates: The 6 they continued
the worke of the Batteries, which was
finished the 7 at night. The 8 day in the morning
we began to salute the besieged with out
2 Batteries, and then sallyed they out again, but
the same proved worse to them than the former,