certainly conquered it had they not fallen out among themselves about parting of it before it was theirs to dispose of Conrade and King Lewis designed it for Theodorick Earl of Flanders who was lately arrived in those parts whilst other Princes who had been there a long time and born the brunt of the War could not endure to see a raw Upstart to be preferred before them For which reason together with their being corrupted with Turkish money although it proved but Brass gilt may all Traitors be so paid they persuaded the King of France to remove his Camp to a stronger part of the Wall whereby they rendred the design of taking the Town fruitless and forced them to raise the Siege and return home leaving the City of Damascus and even Honour both behind them Many thousand Christians perished in that adventure whose Souls are said by all the Writers of that Age to be carried up to Heaven upon the Wings of that Holy Cause they died for And the King of France in his return home was taken Prisoner by the Graecian Fleet but rescued again by Gregory who was Admiral to Roger King of Sicilia The King and Emperour being returned Noradine the Turk prevailed in Palestine which was very much occasioned by the unhappy difference which arose between Queen Millesent and her Son Baldwin who was egged on by some of the Nobles that were offended with the Queen for having advanced a certain Nobleman whose name was Manasses to be Constable of the Kingdom who being unable to manage his own happiness grew so insolent that spurning his equals and trampling on his Inferiours he drew upon himself the general hatred and envy of all men quarrelled with his Mother imprisoned first and then banished her Favourite and at last to conclude the difference the Kingdom was divided between them the City of Jerusalem and all the In-land part was allotted to her and what bordered upon the Seâ— to him But the widest Throne being too narrow for two to sit on together he was not long content with this division but marched with a great deal of fury to besiege his Mother in Jerusalem and dispossess her of all When he first approach the City the Patriarch went out to him and with abundance of freedom reproved him sharply for his rash and unnatural attempt and upbraided him for his ingratitude in going about to take all from so good a Mother who had not only proved a good Steward in his minority but had also consented to accept of one halâ— of the Kingdom when the whole of right belonged to her But he was so inchanted with ambltion that no Arguments would prevail which when the Queen perceived she did by the advice of her friends consent to yield up all lest the Christian Cause should suffer by their differences Noradine being incouraged by those Civil Discords came up with a great Army and wasted all the Country of Antioch and Prince Reimund going forth to give him Battel had his Army beaten and himself slain And not long after Joceline Count of Edessa was taken Prisoner In the mean while King Baldwin is not idle but having made great preparations for the besieging of Askelon at last sate down before it and having made a large breach in the Wall the Templars to whom the King promised the spoil if they took it entred through the breach into the City and supposing they were able without any more help to master the Place set a Guard to prevent any more of their fellow Christians from entring in to be sharers with them in the Booty which covetousness of theirs cost them their lives for the Turks contemning the smalness of their number put them all to the Sword notwithstanding which the City was shortly after taken though with abundance of difficulty Divers other considerable Victories King Baldwin obtained over the Turks especially one near the River of Jordan where he vanquished Noradine and twice relieved Caesarea Philippi which the Turk had straitly besieged but death at laâ—â— made a Conquest of him being poisoned by a Jewish Physician as it was believed in regard the remainder of the potion afterwards killed a Dog to whom it was given He was very much lamented by his Subjects and not without reason being so brave and worthy a Prince that even Noradine his mortal Enemy honourably refused to invade his Kingdom during his Funeral Solemnities protesting that in his Opinion the Christians had just cause of sorrow having lost such 〈◊〉 King whose equal for Justice and Valour the whole World could not produce He died without Issue when he had Reigned about one and twenty years CHAP. XVI Almerick Brother to Baldwin succeeds in the Kingdom of Jerusalem The Sultan of Iconium and the Master of the Assassines desire to be baptized Commotions in Aegypt The Turks called thither and set up for themselves The King of Jerusalem 's Aid implored to drive them out He afterwards invades Aegypt His Death ALmerick Brother to King Baldwin and Earl of Joppa and Askelon succeeded to the Kingdom of Jerusalem but was before he could be admitted to his Coronation enjoyned by the Popes Legate and the Patriarch of Jerusalem to put away Anes his Wife Daughter to Joceline Count of Edessa because she was his Cousen in the fourth degree with this reservation that the two Children Baldwin and Sybill which he had by her should be accounted legitimate and capable of their Fathers Possessions In this Kings time the Sultan of Jcenium freely imbraced the Christian Religion and was baptized more of his Courtiers designing to follow him therein had not his Ambassador then at Roâ—â— taken great offence at the vicious and debauched lives which he there observeâ— the Christians to lead which thing maâ—â— many of the Pagans step back when the had one foot in the Church abhorring to see Christians who believe so well and live so ill Not long after the great Master of the Assassines offered to receive the Christian Faith which good intention waâ— spoiled by the base and treacherous killing his Ambassador which he sent tâ—â— Jerusalem to treat with the King about it by one of the Templars 〈…〉 The King demanded the Murderer of the Master of the Templars that so Justice might pass upon him But the Master insolently denied to deliver him saying he had already injoyned him Penance and intended to send him to the Pope but would part with him to none else These Assassines were a certain precise Sect of Mahometans who had in them the very spirit and quintessence of that poisonous Superstition they were about forty thousand in number and were possessed of six Cities near Antaradus in Syria having over them a Chief Master whom they called the Old Man of the Mountains at whose command they would refuse no pain or peril but immediately address themselves to assassinate my Prince whom he had appointed out for death and always find hands to accomplish whatsoever he enjoyed There are now none
casual and not the effect of Carelesness or Cowardize in the losing party But it was some help to the Christians that a certain concealed Christian within the City by Letters unsubscribed gave them constant and faithful Intelligence of all remarkable passages among the Turks within In the mean while the Plague and Famine raged in the Christian Camp and in the compass of one year had swept away above Fifty Princes and Prelates of note who together with all the rest of the common Souldiers in the opinion of those who wrote the History of that Siege went undoubtedly to Heaven Although it were before Pope Clement the sixth had commanded the Angels who durst not disobey him to convey every Soul into Paradice which should die in their Pilgrimage Among those who survived no Prince shewed more Valour and deserved greater commendation than Leopoldus Arch-Duke of Austria who fought so long in assaulting this City that his Armour was all gore Blood save only that part of it which was covered with his Belt For which reason renouncing the six Golden Larks the Ancient Arms of his Family he had assigned him by the Emperour as a Testimony of his valour a Fess Argentin a Field Gules And King Richard being now at last arrived in the Camp before Ptolemais having taken a Dromand or Saracen Ship which he mett in his way thither wherein were Fifteen Hundred Soldiers and two hundred and fifty Scorpions designed for the poysoning of Christians the Siege was carried on by him and his English Souldiers more fiercely than ever it had been before So that the Turks despairing of relief and their provisions wholly spent offered to yield up the City which the Christians would not accept of unless Saladine would promise to deliver all the Christian Prisoners which were then in his custody and restore them the Cross again which he promising to do the City was delivered and the Turkish Soldiers guarded safely out of it The Houses which were yet left standing in the City together with the Spoil and Prisoners were by the Kings of England and France divided among themselves whereupon divers great Persons who had been sharers in the pains but were hereby excluded from the gains departed in discontent and King Richards Soldiers rudely pulled down the Arch-Duke of Austria's Ensigns which he haâ—â— advanced in a principal Tower in thaâ— City and as some write threw them in to the Jakes whereat the Duke waâ— highly displeased but yet wisely dissenâ—bled his anger and seemed to forget thâ—â— Injury till he might remember it to hisadvantage which he afterwards did made King Richard pay severely for this affronâ— When the City was taken it grieveâ— the Christians that they could not finâ— out their Faithful Intelligencer whâ— had all along by his Letters acquainted them with the State of the City bâ— more that the Cross did no where appear being either carelesly lost or enviouâ—â— concealed by the Turks They demanded 〈◊〉 of Saladine with the delivery of the Christian Prisoners which he refused not but demanded a longer time for the performance in regard the Cross could not be found But King Richard supposing that it was only a pretence to gain time resolved to have all things performed according to their agreement which being not done he in the heat of his Passioâ— commanded Seven Thousand Turkish Prisoners to be immediately cut to pieces for which rash and cruel act he suffereâ— much in his reputation and was lookeâ— upon as the Murtherer of the like number of Christians whom Saladine in revenge put to the Sword whereas on the contrary the moderation of the French King was very much commended for sparing his Prisoners and reserving them to ransom so many Christians But that which most obscured the Glory of this Victory was the Christians being tent asunder with Faction and divided among themselves King Philip the Dukes of Burgundy and Austria most of the Dutch and all the Genoans and Templars fiding with King Conrade and King Richard Henry Count of Champaigne with the Hospitallers the Venetians and Pisans taking part with Guy Conrades side was very much weakned by the sudden departure of the French King who eighteen days after the taking of Ptolemais returned home pretending want of necessaries indisposition of body through the distemper of the Climate but the true cause was his not induring to hear King Richards Fame so much transcend his own together with a desire to seize on the Dominions of the Earl of Flanders who was then lately dead His own Souldiers mightily disswaded him from returning and besought him not to stop in so glorious a work wherein he had prospered so well already telling him that Saladine being already on his Knees he might peradventure be brought on his Face if this Victory were well pursued And since one of his pretences was want of necessaries King Richard generously offered him one half of his Provisions but all this would not prevail with him to stay and therefore with great importunity he obtained leave to depart having first taken an Oath not to molest the King of Englands Dominions during his stay in the Holy Land which Oath was forgot as soon as he got home And at his departure he left his instructions together with his Army to the Duke of Burgundy ordering him to move as slowly as possible in advancing that work wherein the King of England would have all the Honour which rendred this great undertaking less advantagious to the Christians in Syria than otherwise it might have been THE HOLY VVAR BOOK II. CHAP. I. Conrade slain Guy exchanges his Kingdom for the Isle of Cyprus Henry of Champaign chosen King King Richard obtains many Victories but at last makes a dishonourable Peace and in his return home is taken Prisoner in Austria SOon after the French Kings departure Conrade King of Jerusalem was cruelly murthered in the Market-place of Tyre the cause of whose Death is variously reported some falsely charging our King Richard with having procured it and others say he was killed by Humphred Prince of Thoron for marrying Isabella who had been before espoused to him But most affirm that he was stabbed by two Assassines by command of their Master the Old man of the Mountains whose only Quarrel with him was his being a Christian and that the two Murtherers being immediately taken and put to a cruel Death Gloried in the Meritoriousness of their suffering He had Reigned about five years and left on t Daughter Maria Jole on whom the Templers bestowed Princely Education But tho' Conrade was Dead his Faction still survived and those of his party affronted King Guy and strove to have him deposed telling him that the Crown was only tyed on his Head with a Womans Fillet which being now broken by the Death of Queen Sibyl who dyed together with all her Children of the Plague at the Siege of Ptolomais he had no longer any Right to the Kingdom especially being a worthless and
in the English Army He offered therefore to Consent that a Truce should be concluded on for three some say five years upon condition that the Christians would demolish all places which they had fortified since the taking of Ptolemais which was in Effect to be at the Charge of undoing all that they had hitherto done But however such was the urgency of King Richards occasion that he was glad to accept of those hard Conditions tho' he hated them at his Heart And thus this great undertaking of those two mighty and Warlike Kings began with great Confidence managed with much Courage and attended with good Success ended notwithstanding with some Honour indeed to the undertakers but no manner of Profit either to themselves or the Christian cause King Richard in this Voyage eternized his Memory and to the Glory of the English Nation render'd his Name so terrible to the Turks that they were used to say to their Horses when they started for fear what dost thou think King Richard is here But Profit neither he nor the French King got any both of them loosing the Hair of their Head in an acute disease which saith one Historian was more then either of them got by the Voyage And as for the poor Christians in Syria they left them in a far worse Case than they found them But to refresh the Readers Spirits a little amidst so many Miseries and sad Stories I must not omit one thing that King Richard did in Palestine which was no doubt an abundant Compensation for all the cost and pains of his Journey Which was his redeeming from the Turks for a great sum of Money a large Chest as much as four Men could lift full of Holy Relicks which precious Treasure they had gotten from the Christians at the taking of Jerusalem Richard the 2d. king of Englad. and Jerusalem King Richard having now signed the Peace with Saladine and thereby ended his Pilgrimage took Shipping in Syria to return to his Kingdom but meeting with a Storm on the Coast of Germany he suffered Shipwrack and therefore resolved to travel through that Country by Land as being his nearest way home without considering that the nearness of the way ought to have been measured not so much by the shortness of it as the safeness of it But however to prevent all danger he disguised himself and pretended to be one Hugo a Merchant whose only Commodity was himself whereof he made but a bad Bargain for being discovered in Austria by his large Expences which so far exceeded the degree of a Merchant that his Hostess detected him and the common People flocking about him used much Rudeness and Insolence towards him And being seized on by the Duke who resolved now to be revenged on him for the affront done him in Palestine he sold him to Henry the Emperor who kept him in Bonds Charging him with a Thousand faults committed in Sicily Cyprus and Palestine the Prooss whereof were as slender as the Crime were small so that Richard having an eloquent Tongue an innocent Heart and a bold Spirit easily acquited himself of all those furious Charges in the Judgment of all that heard him However before he could obtain his Liberty he was forced to pay a Ransom of an Hundred and Twenty Thousand Marks Collen weight which was in that age before the Indies had filled those Northern parts of the World with Gold and Silver so greata sum that to raise it in England they were forced to sell all their Church Plate and in lieu thereof for some Hundred years after to Celebrate the Sacrament in Challices of Latten or Tin After this Money Peter of Bloys who had drank as deep of this Helicon as any of that age sent this Prayer making an Apostrophe to the Emperor or to the Duke of Austria or to both together And now thou basest Avarice Drink till thy Belly burst Whil'st England powers large silver showers To Satiate thy thirst And this we pray thy Money may And thou be like accurst Part of this Ransome being paid and Hostages left for the securing the rest he returned into England having indured Eighteen Months Imprisonment But the Duke was after this sorely aflicted in his Dominions by Fire and Famine And in his Body by a Gangren which seised on him with that Violence that he was forced to cut his leg off with his own hand and died thereof but before his death he fortified Vienna with a strong Wall which he caused to be built with this Money and being in the time of his sickness troubled in conscience for having been so Cruel to our King he willed some Thousand Crowns to be returned to him again CHAP. II. The Death of Saladine Discords among the Turks the Death of Henry King of Jerusalem Almerick the Second Succeeds him The Pilgrims divert their Arms from Palestine to Constantinople and Conquer the Grecian Empire NOT long after King Richards return out of Palestine Saladine who had for sixteen years together been the Terror of the East ended his life He was a Prince fierce in fighting and yet mild in Conquering and when he had his Enemies in his hands delighted himself more in having the power then he did in the Act of revenge finding his life draw to a period he Commanded those about him to use no other Solemnities at his Funeral then a Black Cloth which he ordered them to carry before him and Proclaim that Saladine Conqueror of the East had now nothing left of all his Conquest but only this Black Shirt to attend him to his Grave He Left Nine some say Twelve Sons behind him who were all except one Murthered by Saphradin their Uncle whom Saladine made the overseer of his Will and he was not preserved by his Uncles pity but by the favour of some of his fathers Friends his name being likewise Saphradin Sultan of Aleppo Whereupon there arose much Intestine difference among the Turks during which time the Christians injoyed their Truce with much quiet and security only their peace was somewhat imbittered by the unfortunate death of King Henry who fell as he was walking in his Palace to solace himself out of a Window and brake his Neck After whose death Almerick Lusignan Brother to King Guy Marrying Isabella his Relict was in her right Crowned King of Jerusalem The Christians in Syria promising themselves much aid from his Isle of Cyprus of which he was also King but he abandoning himself to ease and pleasure proved a worthless and an unfortunate Prince In his time Henry Emperor of Germany to make amends for his Cruelty against King Richard and regain his Credit which was very much impaired thereby set on foot an other Voyage to the Holy Land Pope Celestine the third sending his Legat about to promote it by shewing how God himself had sounded the Alarm in the dissention of the Turks and persuading them that Jerusalem might now be recovered with the blows of her adversaries only
was to pay a Ransom 〈◊〉 an hundred thousand Michaelets for tâ—â— security whereof he left his Daughter 〈◊〉 Hostage But he paid the Turks with tâ—â— Saracens money whom he beat first 〈◊〉 Antioch and then at Damascus whiâ—â— place he unfortunately besieged aâ—â— thereby damped the Joy of his two foâ—mer Victories And the more to quâ— their swelling pride the young Princeâ— Antioch was overthrown in Battel aâ—â— slain Which ill success so afflicted Kiâ—â— Baldwins mind that for some time bâ— fore his death he renounced the worâ—â— and took upon him a Religious Habitâ— thing not very unusual in those days aâ— sometimes though not often practiâ—â— still as by the Late Queen of Sweden Wâ— is yet living CHAP. XIII Of Fulco the Fourth King of Jerusalem The remarkable Ruine of Rodolphus Patriarch of Antioch The Graecian Emperour demands Anti och The Prince thereof pays him Homage for it Theâ—amentable Death of Fulco FVlco Earl of Tours Mam and Anjou came about three years before on Pilgrimage to Jerusalem where he obâ—ained in Marriage Mellesent the Kings Daughter and thereupon had assigned â—he City of Tyre and some other Princeâ—y Accommodations for his present mainâ—enance and the Kingdom after his Father-in-laws decease which he received â—ccordingly He had one Son by a forâ—er Wife which was Jeffry Plantagenet Earl of Anjou to whom he left all his Lands in France and from whom our Kings of England are descended This Fulco was a very valiant man indued with many perfections both of body and mind In his Reign there was â—o Alterations worth remark in the Church of Jerusalem but in that of Antioch there was much stir who should succeed Bernard that peaceable and long liv'd Prelate who sate Thirty six yearâ— in the Chair and survived Eight Patriarchs of Jerusalem For the Clergâ— being long in their choice before theâ— could come to a result the Laity waâ— too nimble for them and clapped oâ— Rodolphus of honourable descent into thâ— Chair who cast off his Obedience to thâ— Pope and refused to acknowledge aâ—â— Superiour but St. Peter He was thâ— Darling of the Gentry but bated of thâ— Clergy because advanced without theâ— suffrage wherefore being conscious 〈◊〉 himself that he needed strong Arms sinâ— he was to swim against the stream 〈◊〉 screwed himself into the favour of tâ—â— Princess of Antioch Widdow to youâ— Boemund so that with her strength 〈◊〉 beat down all his Enemies promising hâ— in requital to make a Marriage betwâ—â— her and Reimund Earl of Poictou who wâ— then coming into those parts But 〈◊〉 deceived her and procured the Earl 〈◊〉 marry with the Lady Constantia hâ— Daughter who was but a Child wiâ—â— whom he had the Principality of Antioâ— The Patriarch that he might maâ—â— sure work and oblige him for ever to 〈◊〉 his friend bound him to it by an Oatâ— But as it is usual in those cases frienâ— unjustly gotten are seldom long injoyed of a sworn Friend he became his sworn Enemy and forced him to go to Rome there to answer many Accusations laid to his charge The chief whereof was that he made odious comparisons between Antioch and Rome and accounted himself equal to his Holiness When he arrived at Rome he found the Popes Doors shut against him but he quickly opened them with a Golden Key and upon his repentance for having refused to acknowledge Obedience to the Church of Rome he was dismissed only it was ordered by his Holiness that the Bishop of Ostia should be sent into Byria to examine matters relating to his other Crimes and proceed accordingly Whereat his Adversaries stormed extreamly expecting that he should have been immediately deposed But having mist their mark they resolved to have a second blow at him wherefore they prevailed with Albericus the Legate to favour their design which was not unknown to Rodolphus who coming to Antioch cited the Patriarch to appear but being called three several times came not which was variously commented upon by those who were present according as they affected or disaffected him Whereupon the Legate directed himself to the Arch-Bishop of Apamea who had formerly been one of the most vehemenâ— Accusers of Rodolphus but had lately beeâ— reconciled to him and demanded why he did not accuse the Patriarch now oâ— those Crimes which he had formerly laid to his charge To which the Arch-Bishop answered That what he theâ— did was done out of heat and prejudice and he thought it was his great sin so unadvisedly to discover the nakedness oâ— his Father like cursed Cham from which God had so far reclaimed him that he would rather die for his safety than accuse him Upon which Speech the Legate such was the Martial-Law in a Prelate in those days immediately deposed him and shortly after thrust out the Patriarch with great violence and shut him up in Prison where he remained a long time in Chains till at last he made his escape and went to Rome with an intent to have traversed his Cause again had not death cut him off About this time Calo Johannes the Graecian Emperour came with a great Army of Horse and Foot and demanded of Reimund Prince of Antioch to resign to him that whole Signiory according to the Composition which the Christian Princes made with Alexius his Father which insolent demand fretted Reimund and all the Latines to the heart in regard they had purchased an Inheritance with their own Blood and yet were required to turn Tenants at will to another They told him it was offered his Father when first taken and he refused it That Alexius kept not his Covenants nor assisted them according to the Agreement He called them his Sons indeed but disinherited them of their hopes and all the Portion that he gave them lay in promises never paid But all these Arguments signified little the Emperours Sword being far stronger than theirs for coming with so great a force he conquered in a few days all Cilicia and then besieged the City of Antioch it self whereupon the King of Jerusalem fearing it would give too great advantage to the Infidels to have the Christians fall together by the Ears among themselves made composition between them wherein Reimund obliged himself to do homage to the Emperour and hold his Principality of him Notwithstanding which about four years after he returned again but did not much harm only pillaged the Country And some few years after that he died being accidentally poisoned by one of his own Arrows which he had prepared for the Wild Bore having always carried it much fairer to the Latines than his Father had done in regard an honourable Foe is much more desirable than a Treacherous Friend Falco having Reigned in Jerusalem about Eleven years with abundance oâ— care and industry being almost continually imbroiled in Civil Discords which hindered him from much inlarging of hiâ— Dominion was slain as he was following his sport in Hunting to the great grieâ— of his Subjects He was buried with his Predecessors
of them left they being rooted out and destroyed by Selemus the Turkish Emperour when he conquered Syria and Aegypt or as others say by the Tartarians Anno 1257. unless we may suppose them to be revived again in the Jesuits gracious Loyola having fetched his Platform of blind obedience from them Whilst the Turks Lorded it over Syria and the lesser Asia the Saracen Caliph commanded in Aegypt which was the Stage whereon most of the remarkable passages of King Almericks life were acted For Dargan and Sanar two great Saracen Lords belonging to the Caliph of Aegypt falling out about the Sultany or Viceroyship of the Land made way for the calling of him thither Sanar finding that he was too weak to contend with his Rival craved Aid of Noradine King of the Turks that then Reigned at Damascus who sent him an Army of Turks under the Command of Syracon an experienced Captain Notwithstanding which Dargan obtained the Victory but enjoyed it not long being shortly after slain by Treachery whereby Sanar got the Sultans place It the mean while the voluptuous Calipâ— carelesly pursued his private pleasures without concerning himself about their difference or regarding their introducing forreign Force to decide their Quarrel as though the tottering of his Kingdom had rocked him into a Lethargy out of which nothing would awake him Sanar having now obtained his desire by the death of Dargan liberally rewarded the Turks and desired them to return home but Syracon refused to be gone and having seized on the City of Belbis fortified it and there waited for the coming of more Turks for the Conquest of Aegypt which made Sanar implore the help of Almerick King of Jerusalem to drive them out of Aegypt which he effectually performed But whilst he was Victorious in Aegypt an unfortunate Battel was fought between Boemund the Third Prince of Antioch Reimund Prince of Tripoli Calamarâ— Governour of Cilicia and Joceline Counâ— of Edessa on one side and Noradine the Turkish King on the other wherein the Turk obtained the Victory and took those four Christian Princes Prisoners As for Syracon the Turk though he was forced to retire for the present out of Egypt by the Victorious Arms of Almerick yet he resolved not to part with it so wherefore he presently went to the Caliph of Babylon who was opposite to him of Egypt and accounted him an Usurper each of them claiming as sole Heir to Mahomet their false Prophet the Soveraignty over all the Saracens in the World and offered him that if he would furnish him with a good number of Souldiers he would extirpate this Schismatical Caliph and reduce all Egypt to the Obedience of the Babylonian which motion being joyfully embraced by the greedy and aspiring Fop Syracon once again invadeth Egypt with a great and powerful Army Whereupon Sanar who was greatly affrighted thereat made new and larger offers to King Almericus to come and stop this deluge of his Enemies promising him a Pension of Forty thousand Ducats yearly if he would lend him his Assistance But Almerick perceiving that the Sultan notwithstanding he took so much upon him was subject to a high Lord refused to make any Bargain with him but with the Caliph himself in order whereunto he sent Hugh Earl of â—sarea and a Knight Templar as his Eâ—bassadours to Caliph Elhadach who thâ— kept his Court at Cairo Who being aâ—rived at his Palace were conducted 〈◊〉 the Sultan through several dark passagâ— well guarded with armed Ethiopians aâ— then into divers spacious open Courts such beauty and riches that the Embasadours were amazed and even astonisâ—ed at the rarities they beheld And sâ—â— the farther they went the greater tâ— state appeared till at last they weâ— brought to the Caliphs own Lodingâ— where as soon as they entred the Prâ—sence-Chamber the Sultan prostraâ— himself three several times to tâ— ground before the Curtain behind whiâ— the magnificent Caliph was sitting aâ— thereupon the Traverse which was 〈◊〉 rich Silk wrought all over with Peaâ— of inestimable value was immediate drawn and the Caliph himself discoverâ— sitting with great Majesty on a Throâ— of massy Gold having only some fewâ— his most confiding Eunuchs about him The Caliph having discovered himselâ— and the Sultan humbly kissed his feet â— briefly related the cause of their cominâ— the eminent danger which then threaâ—ned them and the offers which he hâ— made to King Almerick which he intreated him now to ratifie and in demonstration thereof to give his hand to â—he Kings Embassadour The Calip'â— having heard what he had to say demurâ—ed a while upon the Ceremony of giâ—ing them his hand accounting such a geâ—ure beneath the greatness of his state â—nd would by no means consent to give â—em his bare hand but offered it them with his Glove on to which the resoâ—te Earl of Caesarea replied Sir truth â—eks no holes to hide it self in and Prinâ—es who intend to keep Covenant ought â— deal openly and nakedly give us thereâ—re your hand or we will make no barâ—in with your Glove He was loth to â—o it but necessity which was at that â—me a more imperious Caliph than himâ—lf commanding it he at last consented â—nd dismissed the Christian Embassadours â—ith such liberal Gifts as testified his â—reatness Almerick according to this Agreeâ—ent faithfully used his utmost endeaâ—our to expel Syracon with his Turks out â—f Egypt and in order thereunto he met â—hem in the Field and gave them Battel â—herein he got the day but lost all his â—aggage so that the Conquest was as it â—ere divided the Turks gaining the Wealth and the Christians the Honoâ— of the Victory But Almerick followiâ— his success pursued them to Alexandrâ— and pent them up and straitly besiegâ— them in that City and thereby forâ—â— them to accept of conditions of Peaâ— wherein they were obliged to depart 〈◊〉 of Egypt without performing what thâ— had promised and the Caliph of Baby expected and then returned himself wâ—â— honour to Askelon But when a Crown is the Prize playâ— for it is vain to expect fair play in 〈◊〉 Gamesters For King Almerick havâ— once beheld the Beauty and Richesâ— Egypt was so enamoured therewith tâ— he longed to obtain that Kingdom 〈◊〉 himself And the next year contrâ— to his Solemn League with the Calâ— invaded it with a great Army pretendâ— though falsly that the Caliph woâ— make a private Peace with Noraâ— King of the Turks Guilbert Master the Hospitallers was the chief Instrumâ— in stirring up the King to this treacâ—rous and unjust War hoping that 〈◊〉 Country of Perlusium if conquered shoâ— be given to their order But the Teâ—plars very much opposed the design 〈◊〉 of their Order being Embassador at 〈◊〉 ratifying the Agreement between 〈◊〉 King and Caliph and with much Zeal â—otested against it as undertaken against â—ath and Fidelity However the King would not be diâ—erted from his design but having made â—reat preparations for this War descendâ—d into Egypt where he was for a