CHAP. I.]

ST. JOHN OF JERUSALEM.

99

Templars wearing their white mantles, and theHospitallers their scarlet surcoats . 1 2

The Sultan, Malek-Kammel, Safadin’s eldestson, had written the most woe-begone letters to hisbrothers, who, all fourteen, came, one by one, fromvarious parts of the East on this side, and frombeyond Jordan, their different dominions, withtheir troops to join him. Above all, the Prince ofDamascus, who, before he left Palestine, took careto raze the walls of Jerusalem, lest the Franksshould take them, was remarkably enthusiastic f and,by a stratagem, forced his brother Arschaff, King ofArmenia, who, having come with his army intoPalestine, and after they had a conversation lateone evening, retired to bed; the prince, who mayhave perceived some hesitation in the other, pulledon his little boots in the middle of the night, androused and harangued the troops, “March!—To Da-mietta!” But Arschaff, in the morning, dressed,took a bath, and coming from it, was astonishednot to see his soldiery. But learning what theprince had done, mounted; and without one word,marched towards Egypt after him . 3

So now the sultan’s army counted forty thousand

1 Potestats di Eeggio.—Bib. Crois., ii. 591.

2 Arab. Chron., 398. Note, and 410.

3 Id., 411.

H 2