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THE HISTORY OF THE ORDER OF [book ir.

and the sultan’s own brothers and all his grandeesused to stand upon their entering, and remainstanding, in token of respect for them. 1 And hesent commissaries from his own Court to protectthem, and defray all their expenses on the road,even unto their own ships; nor will gratitudepermit us to inquire whether something is not to besubtracted from his generosity, and to be ascribedto his wisdom; inasmuch as it is good policy toassist the departure of a defeated foe. 2 Of the fewHospitallers who came back to Acre, all were moreor less badly wounded; and most severely so, thegrand master. Not only Montacute was atDamietta in June, 1221, quietly receiving a donationto the order by a German officer then there 3 (whichproves how accurate the Arabs are in their dates,by which late in spring was the advance of theChristians, and the 28th of August that of theirretreat from the Delta 4 ), but likewise in OctoberMontacute was back at Acre. 5 The other Hospitallershad been slain, and most of the Templars and Teu-tonics also. She who had rejoiced at their first suc-cesses, and flattered herself with the Holy Land’sbeing free for ever, Acre, had now to mourn in con-

1 Arab. Chron., 417. 2 Michaud: Hist., iii. 362.

3 Appendix, lxi. 4 Arab. Chron., 416.

5 Appendix, lxxxviii.