Camels, Asses, and Mules, richly loden with silkes, precious iewels, spyces, gold, & siluer, with carte lodes of other wares, besides vitaile and other furniture, wherof the souldiours then stode in great neede. He hauyng secret knowledge hereof, gathered all the power of Englishmen vnto him that he could, and so by night fallyng vpon the Marchantes, some he slue with the guides and conductours, some he tooke, some he put to flight. MarginaliaWilliam Longspath inriched by Saracens goods.The Cartes with the driuers, and with the Oxen, and the Camels, Asses, and Mules, with the whole cariage and vitales he tooke and brought with him, losing in all the skirmish but one souldiour, and viij. of his seruitures. Of whom not withstandyng some he brought home wounded, to be cured.

MarginaliaWilliam Longspath wronged by the Frenchmen.This beyng knowen in the camp, forth came the Frēch men, which all this while loytered in their pauilions, & meeting this cariage by þ^e way, tooke all the foresaid pray whole to themselues, ratyng the sayd William & the Englishmen, for so aduentryng & ishuyng out of the campe without leaue or knowledge of their generall, contrary to the discipline of warre. William sayd agayne, he had done nothyng, but he would aunswere to it, whose purpose was to haue the spoile deuided to the behoufe of the whole armey. Whē this would not serue, he beyng sore greued in his mynde so cowardly to be spoyled of that, for which he so aduenturously had trauayled for, went to the kyng to complayne. But when no reason nor complaint would serue, by reason of the proude Earle of Artoys the kynges brother, which vpon despite & disdayne stode agaynst him, he byddyng the kyng farewell, sayd he would serue him no longer. MarginaliaWilliā wyth the Englishmē departeth to Achon.And so Williā de Longspath, with the rest of his cōpany, breakyng from the Frēch host, went to Achon. Vpon whose departure, then sayd the Earle of Artoys: MarginaliaThe despiteful wordes of the kings brother against Englishmen.Now is the armey of French men well ryd of these tayled people. Which wordes spoken in great despite, were euill taken of many good men that heard him. Ex Mat. Parisiens. fol. 233. 234.

Before the ariuyng of the French armey in the land of Egypt, the Soldan of Babylon hauyng before intelligence of their commyng committed the custody of Damiata to a certaine Prince of his, whom he specially trusted, committing also to his brother the keeping of Kaira & Babylonia. It folowed now after the taking of Damiata, that þ^e Soldan of BabylonMarginaliaBabilon in Egypt.accused the Prince which had the custody therof, before his nobles, of prodition, as giuyng the Citie vnto the Christians. Who notwithstandyng in iudgement did sufficiently cleare himselfe, declaryng how he was certified that the kyng would land at Alexandria, and therfore bent all power to preuent the kynges ariuall there. MarginaliaHow Damiata was takē of the Christians.But by distresse of weather, he missyng of his purpose and the kyng lāding about Damiata, by reason therof the City was takē vnprouided, he notwithstandyng w^t his company resistyng, as well as they might, till they could no longer, and so departed out, cursing, sayd he, Mahomet & his law. MarginaliaThe kinge or tribune of Damiata wrongfully put to death by the Soldā.At which wordes the Soldan being offended commaunded him to be had away as a traytor and blasphemer, and to be hanged, albeit he had sufficiently purged himselfe by the iudgement of the Court. MarginaliaThe tribune of Kayra deuiseth to be Christened.His brother which was the keper of Kayra and Babylonia, beyng therewith not a litle aggreued, and bearyng a good mynde to the Christian Religiō, diuised in him selfe, how to giue þ^e sayd Citie of Kayra with Babylonia to the French kyng, & so in most secret wise sent to the kyng, shewyng his full purpose and what had happened, and furthermore instructing the kyng in all things how and what he should do: & moreouer requiryng the Sacramēt of Baptisme, meanyng in dede good fayth, and sendyng also away all the Christian captiues, which he had with him in prison. MarginaliaW. Longspath sent for agayne & commeth.The kyng beyng glad hereof, sent in all hast for William Lōgspath, promising a full redresse of all iniuries past. Who vpon hope of some good lucke towardes, came at the kyngs request, and so ioyned with the French power agayne.

MarginaliaThe story how the French army was ouerthrown fighting agaynst the Saracens.TO make the story short, the kyng setting forward frō Damiata, directed his iourney toward Kayra, slaying by the way such Saracens as there were set to stop the vitailes from Damiata. The Soldan in the meane tyme hearing of þ^e couragious cōmyng of the Frēch host, as beyng in great hope to conquere all: sent vnto þ^e kyng by certaine that were next about him, offeryng to þ^e Christians þ^e quyet and full possession of the holy land, with all the kyngdome of Ierusalē, & more: besides other infinite treasure of golde & siluer, or what els might pleasure thē, onely vpō this conditiō that they would restore agayne Damiata, with the captiues there, and so would ioyne together in mutuall peace & MarginaliaThe fayre offers of the Soldan to the Frenchmē, if they but had grace to take it.amitie. Als they should haue all their Christian captiues deliuered home, and so both coūtreys should freely passe one to an other with their wares & traficke, such as they lysted to occupy. Furthermore it was also firmely affirmed & spoken, that the Soldan, with most of his nobles were mynded no lesse then to leaue the filthy law of Mahomet, and receaue the fayth of Christ, so that they might quietly inioy their landes and possessiōs. MarginaliaThe Pope & hys Legate cause of all thys mischiefe.The same day great quietnes had entred (no doubt) in al Christendome, with the end of much bloudshed and misery, had not bene for the pope and his Legate, who (hauyng commaundement from the Pope, that if any such offers should come, he should not take them) stoutly & frontose (as the wordes be of the story) contradicens, in no wise would receaue the conditions offered. Parisiens. fol. 233.

Thus while the Christians vnprofitably lyngered the tyme, in debatyng this matter, the Soldan in the meane tyme got intelligence of the compact betwene the Tribune of Kayra, and the French kyng: wherupō he sent in all hast to the citie of Kayra, to apprehēd the Tribune, till the truth were fully tryed. Which seemed to him more apparent, for that the Christiā prisoners were already deliuered. MarginaliaThe Christians refusing good offers could not haue them when they would.Hereupon the Soldan being in some better hope, and lesse feare, refused that which before he had offered to the Christians albeit they with great instance afterward sued to the Soldan, and could not obteine it. MarginaliaA cruell proclamation of the Saracens against the Christians.Then the Soldan being wholy bent to try the matter by the sword, sent to the East partes for an infinite multitude of souldiours, giuing out by Proclamation, that whosoeuer could bryng in any Christen mans head, should haue x. talentes, besides his standyng wages. And whosoeuer brought his right hād, should haue, fiue. He that brought his foote, should haue ij. talents for his reward.

MarginaliaThe Earle of Artoys with the iij. part of the Christen army passeth ouer the riuer Nilus.After these thynges thus prepared on both sides to the necessitie of warre, the kyng commeth to the great Riuer Nilus, hauyng gotten together many boates, thinkyng by them to passe ouer, as vpō a sure bridge. On the other side þ^e Soldā pitched himself to withstād his comming ouer. In the meane tyme happened a certaine feast amongest the Saracens, in which the Soldan was absent, leauyng his tētes by the water side. Which beyng forsene before by a certaine Saracen lately conuerted to Christ, seruyng with the Earle Robert the kynges brother, and shewyng them with all a certaine shalow foorde in the Riuer of Nilus, where they might more easely passe ouer, the sayd Earle Robert & the Master of the Temple with a great power, estemed to the thyrd part of the army, ishewed ouer the Riuer, MarginaliaW. Longspath.after whom also folowed William Longspath with his band of English souldiours. MarginaliaVictory of the Christians agaynst the Saracens.These beyng together ioyned on þ^e other side of the water, encoūtered the same day with the Saracens remaining in the tentes, and put them to the worse. After this victory gotten, the French Earle surprised with pride and triūph, as though he had cōquered the whole earth, would nedes forward, diuidyng himselfe from the mayne host, thinkyng to wynne the spurres alone. MarginaliaGood counsell geuen but no folowed.To whom certaine sage men of the Temple, giuyng contrary counsell aduised hym not so to do, but rather to returne and take their whole cōpany with them, and so should they be more sure agaynst all deceates & daungers, which there might be layd priuely for thō. The maner of that people (they said) they better knew, and had more experience therof then he: Alledging moreouer their weried bodyes, their tyred horses, their famished souldiours, and the insufficiency also of their number, which was not able to withstand the multitude of the enemies, especially at this present brunt, in which the aduersaries did well see the whole state of their dominion now to cōsiste either in winnyng all, or losing all: with other such lyke wordes of persuasion. MarginaliaThe despitefull rebukes of Earle Robert to them that gaue him good counsell.Which when the proude Earle dyd heare, beyng inflated with no lesse arrogāce then ignoraūce, with opprobrious tātes reuiled them, callyng them cowardly dastardes, and betrayers of the whole countrey, obiecting vnto them the common report of many, which sayd, that the land of the holy Crosse might soone be wonne to Christendome were it not for the rebellious Templaries, with the Hospitularies and their felowes. &c.

MarginaliaThe aunswere of the Templaries to Earle Robert.To these contumelious rebukes when the Master of the Tēple aunswered agayne for him and his felowes, byddyng him display his ensigne when he would, and where he durst, they were as ready to folow him, as he to go before them: then begā William de Longspath the worthy Knight to speake, desiryng the Earle to giue eare to those men of experience, who had better knowledge of those coūtreys and people, then had he, commendyng also their counsel to be discret & holsome: and so turnyng to the Master of the Temple began with gentle words to mitigate him likewise. The Knight had not halfe ended his talke, whē the Earle ta-