ABSTRACT
The English and Persians were very downcast and disheartened at the heavy loss which they had suffered in this assault amongst their best men who had been selected for this enterprise; whereupon, considering the thousands of lives which this war with the Portuguese had cost them, besides so many fortresses and cities razed to the ground all over Persia, and so many palmtrees cut-down, to say nothing of the useless campaign which they had been waging in these sieges of Queixome and Ormuz for the continuation of which their powder was already running short, whilst if the siege was to be prolonged for much longer it seemed as if they would all perish at the edge of the Portuguese swords,—they cunningly resolved to ask Captain Simão de Mello for a truce, in order that if this was granted they could finish their mines during the time that the suspension of arms lasted, and then fire them at the time most convenient to themselves, after which they could storm the fortress and put to the sword those few Portuguese who were defending it with such valour.
