290

THE HISTORY OF THE ORDER OF [hook I.

ten thousand matches. It has been resolved thatwhole city shall perish for ever and ever. Thereis no possible remedy. So you must retire.”“ You are right,” said the dejected monarch. Andon the same moment began his retreat, lest his owncamp should be burned also . 1 Slowly he movedbackwards and stopped beyond Heliopolis severaldays , 2 while the Hospitallers 3 evacuated the citygiven to them with so much pomp one monthbefore . 4 But it was idle waiting. No transitoryflame was that which he had left. Not an inhabitantremained to try to extinguish it, nor by any mor-tal was an attempt ever made to put out thatmighty fire. Had there been, it would have been invain; the pitiless flames were at full liberty to burnthemselves out; not a roof, scarce a wall was leftstanding, the conflagration lasted fifty-four days.In lieu of a fine city, there is now a sorry villagenamed Forstat; where it is possible that some ofthose black, half-shattered columns shown in themosque may have survived the fire, and been after-wards furnished with gables and a roof; and stillmore is it not quite impossible but where our

1 Arab. Cbron., 130. 2 Id., 132.

Vertot: ii. 205.—Bosio : par. 1, lib. iii., anno 1169.

4 Cod. Dipl. Geros., 448.—Hum. xlvii. and xlviii.