140 THE HISTORY OF THE ORDER OF [BOOK II.

Empress of Constantinople, who came to implorehim to succour her husband . 1 But Louis was relax-ing the discipline of his army in that beautiful butimmoral island, and lessening his provisions andfinances. Yet in vain Templars and Hospitallerstried to engage him to an armistice with thesultan, who was no longer Frederick’s old friend,Malek-Kammel, but his son. In which rejectionthe French nobility joined their monarch. Still, itrequired no very wary eye to see Louis, notwith-standing all his personal courage, and his sanctity,was a weak-minded man. This was most observ-able in his own family, where he allowed the queenmother to exert too great an ascendant over him,to the not unreasonable jealousy of her royaldaughter-in-law, his true and faithful wife. Theconsequence was, that the gentle Margaret couldnot love the domineering, though virtuous and in-telligent Blanche. The monarch’s brothers, also,were turbulent spirits, nor obedient as they ought,to their sovereign; to say nothing of his rank ofcommander-in-chief. Which turbulence and whichdebility argued ill for the opening campaign, andrendered it still harder to quiet the haughty Frenchgrandees. Some want of provisions already brought

1 Michaud: Hist., iv. 162.