often reduced to Afhes by the Skill and Addrefs of the Fireworkers and Pyrobolifts within. Our Hiftorian taxes the Governour or Lord of Tyre, with being the Incendiary of thefe dreadful doings, and of thofe that follow, by ftirring up the Kings of Christendom with the fight of a Picture he fent over Sea, which reprefented the Holy Sepulchre with a Moflem Horfeman prancing over it, while his Horfe ftaled on it. This Representation, fays he, was handed about among them beyond Sea, and the Priefts 'went about with it in mournful penitential Proceffions, inflaming the Minds of all that faw it. THE Armies breathed a while, during the rear of the depth of the Winter Seafon; and the Spring Hej. 587.. drawing on, each fide prepared for Action. Now the King of France arrived, with fix Ships, laden with Horses and other Neceffaries; he, fays our Author, was confidered as the chief of the Chriftian Powers, and it was reported that the fupreme Command was to be lodged in him; and it used to be threatened what he would do when he came. He had a white Falcon, a great Favourite, which juft after his arrival, took a flight, and instead of returning to his Mafter, alighted on the Walls of Ptolemais, and was taken by the befieged, who refused a thousand Crowns of Gold for his Ranfom, and fent him a present to the Soltán. This was a very comfortable Omen. * THEN comes the King of England inta thefe Parts; he, fays our Hiftorian, was deemed inferior in Dignity to the former, but was much. more confidered for his warlike Abilities and Wealth, being an extraordinary Warrior, and Mafter of much Treafure. But he, for his part, thought ★ Richard I. furnamed Cœur de Lion, thought Cyprus worth the conquering, and therefore refolved to reduce that in the first place. But much about this time a Misfortune befel the English Nation; they loft five Ships and a Pinnace, with Recruits and Supplies, which were taken by the Moflems. To return to the Siege, it went on with the former vigour, and the befieged began to be fadly diftreffed; and fo intent were the Franks upon storming the place, that rather than not fill up the Ditches and Moats that went round it, they threw in their dead Carkaffes of all forts, not excepting the Men that either died or fell by the Sword, or were judged to be incurably wounded. The befieged on the other hand, ventured, and fought, and laboured hard to rid themselves of this Incumbrance and Infection by cutting up the dead Bodies, and carrying them off, and throwing them into the Sea. But fo terrible, and fo eternal a Duty, made their Hearts fail and their Spirits flag; which the Soltan underftanding, did his utmoft, not only to chear them up, but actually to procure them fome refpite. Night and Day did he affault and moleft the Franks in their Camp, and the harder they preffed upon the Town, the harder did he prefs upon them: infomuch that the Franks would have come to a Parley; but the Soltan difdainfully rejected it, faying, If they would have any thing with us, it is their bufinefs to come and ask it; we want nothing of them. THUS went Matters on between them, till the King of England landed from his Conqueft of Cyprus. He came, fays our Hiftorian, with a magnificent and terrible Parade, conducting twenty-five Ships of War, full of Men, Arms, Ammunition and Machines. The Franks fet no bounds bounds to their Joy at his arrival, which they fhewed by all the Demonftrations ufual at public Festivities. Their Kings, fays he, had frequently threatned us with him, and by Deferters we were told they put off their last push upon Ptolemais till he fhould arrive, he being fage in Counsel, and indefatigable and daring in Action. The Moflems now were almost deadhearted, all but the Soltan; he put his usual confidence in God. THREE days after the King of England's arrival, he fought a large Ship with fix hundred and fifty fightingMen in her. She had been fitted out and laden with Ammunition and Provifion at Berytus, by the Soltan's order, and was bound for Ptolemais, where he was to force her entrance, and fupply the Town. But the King of England hemmed her round with forty Sail, and plyed her fo warmly, that the Commander perceiving himself on the point of being taken, funk her of his own accord, and all that was in her perished; but not without the lofs of one of the King's largest Ships, which was burned, and all that was in her perished alfo. VERY extraordinary efforts were now made to reduce the place; particularly a Machine was built, which towered above the Walls of the City, and was, as it was thought, invincibly fortified with Iron and Lead, and Brass, and advanced within five or fix Cubits of the Town; whereat they within immediately talked of capitulating but Night and Day plying it with their fiery Compofitions, their perfeverance had its defired effect, the Flames took this Machine alfo, reduced it to Afhes, and put new Life into them, but rather fharpned than blunted the Edge of the Siege. THE THE Soltán had ordered the befieged, to beat their Kettle-Drums as often as they were hard put to it in an Affault. This Signal they made now, which the Soltan hearing, rushed down upon the Chriftian Camp with great Execution and a general Plunder. This gave the Franks a diverfion, and drew them from off the Town to fight the Soltán, who stood his ground and they fought, till the fultry Heat of the Noon-day Sun made each fide give over. UPON the Monday afterwards, the City Drums were heard again, with which the Soltán correfponded as before. The Affault upon the Town was now more violent than ever, the Franks being confident the Soltán would not dare a fecond Attempt upon their Camp; but they were mistaken, he broke in and ranfacked it a fecond time. This was a fecond Diversion, and changed the Scene of Action again, which was the moft fierce and obftinate that had ever yet been fought, the Moflems never offering to give over, till they faw a Herald appear on the other fide, to defire a fafe Conduct to the Soltán. He waited firft on the Soltan's Brother, Al-malec-Al-adel, and was thence conducted to the Soltán himself, to whom he declared, that the King of England defired a Conference with him. To this the Soltan answered without the least hefitation: Kings never meet to difcourfe together till Peace is ratified between them. It would look unfeemly in them to contend in the Field after a friendly Conference. If that be his defire, the Articles of Peace must be first agreed on. We must also be provided with an honest and faithful Interpreter between us, that we may understand each other. When all this is done, we will meet and talk together, in God's name. THIS THIS Tender of Peace did not retard the War, and the very next Sunday the Armies fought again with no great lofs of Blood indeed, but by degrees the War grew as hot as ever between them. While the Armies were difputing, as it were, negligently in flight Skirmishes, it fared harder and harder with the befieged, who complained to the Soltan that the Siege was become intolerable fince the King of England's landing:. that indeed the King of France had been wounded, but it had turned rather to their loss than advantage, having ferved only to exafperate the Befiegers, and make them fiercer, more intrepid, and more indefatigable than before. This was not the only Misfortune that befel the Franks about the fame time. The Marquis, Lord of Tyre, left the Camp in a difguft, two of the Queen of Sicily's Servants deferted; but worst of all, the King of England was taken with a violent Indifpofition. * AT the fame time that the Chriftian Camp laboured under thefe Difadvantages, the Soltán grew ftronger and ftronger, by the acceffion of fome powerful Allies. A report went, that the King of England had been highly blamed by the other Princes before Ptolemais, for the ftep he had taken towards a Treaty with the Soltán, as detrimental and difhonourable to the Chriftian Name and Intereft. But if that is true, we are told he difregarded whatever they faid upon that Affair by maintaining a Correfpondence with Almalec Al-adel, who informed his Brother, the Soltán, of all that paffed between them. At laft it was agreed that Al-malec Al-adel fhould meet the King of England in the Plain; but the King ་་ being The King of England's Sifter, who was prefent at the Siege. |