CHAP. II.]

ST. JOHN OF JERUSALEM.

123

hand and lightning mind, are of all times. Whowas a capital soldier then, would be a capitalsoldier now—not the least doubt of it. Hardinessand exactness are the things; with them, any tacticsAvill do; without them, no tactics can effect much.Martinets—or whatever be the name in vogue—never perform important matters. Something ofwhat took place after the great French Revolution,took place then—I mean officers acting as privates.Not one individual of the whole twenty thousandbut was an experienced able veteran warrior, bothfor cavalry and infantry; and several of them ac-complished engineers, or for what would be nowcalled artillery, and fully capable of conducting asiege. And to a siege they were going, and such asiege! One of the strongest fortresses in Asia,with a large valiant garrison, commanded by anoted Mahometan, chosen on purpose for thatarduous station, and well furnished with every ne-cessary ammunition, and they themselves but ahandful. Who ever heard, before or since, in theusual routine of war, of the besieged army being asnumerous as the besieging? Here they are threetimes more so. But none of the least worthy ofthese Franks but would have been a fit sergeant inour armies, or subaltern, or even captain—hundredsgenerals, and certainly several qualified to be com-