CHAP. I.]

ST. JOHN OF JERUSALEM.

105

quarter ; 1 but Moslem charity allowed the residueto retire in peace, on the sole condition of sur-rendering Damietta, though much injured; andhostages were given, Brienne and legate on the oneside, and on the other the sultan’s eldest son, a boyof about fifteen. So the sultan had the dykesclosed, and the land was quickly as before. Yetthis did not suffice, for the unfortunate Christianswere fast dying of hunger; whereupon Briennewalked into the sultan’s tent, and sat down andbegan to weep; then the sultan looked at theking, who dolefully was weeping, and said to him:“ Sire, why do you weep?”—“Sire, good right Ihave to weep,” replied the King; “ for do I not seethe people, whom God has given me in charge, dieof hunger ? ” The sultan took pity of the king,that he had seen him dolefully weeping, and began toweep himself also, and gave thirty thousand loavesof bread for poor and rich without distinction; andso for the four following days . 2 And further still didthe compassionate Malek-Kammel go; for heforbade the Mussulmen to direct a word of obloquyto the retreaters. Far from taking an ignoble ad-vantage of their distress, the Christian deputieswere always received by him with great honour;

1 Arab. Chron., 416.

2 Michaud : Hist., iii. 367.