Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Brief History Of The Religious And Military Order Of The Knights Templars' Of St. John Of Jerusalem.
' K You shall know , great king , that the city of Jerusalem , with the " tower of David , have fallen into the hand ., of Sa . adine . The " Syriac Christians are permitted to attend the holy sepulchre till " the fourth dry after the feast of St . Michr . eh The Hospitallers ¦ " are ' allowed to continue a year to take caie of their sick . The knihts of StJohnwho in the castle of Besuvoirare
coli" g . , are , ;; ¦ " nually distinguishing themselves by their enterprizes against the " Saracens , from whom they have lately td- ; en two caravans laden ¦ " with the plunder which they found in the fortress of La Fere . . " Cai-ac , Mount-Royal , Sapheta of tlie Temple , Margat , Caste ! '" Blanco , Tripoli , and Antioch , still hold out against the Turks . " The sultan has taken the great cross from the dome of the church ,
- " which was built on the ground whete tlie Temple of Solomon ¦ " stoo , d , and caused it to be -dragged cpprobriously through tlie " streets , trampled under foot , and denied ivith dirt . The infidels . " have washed the church both inside and out with rose-water , by " way of purification , and , having converted it into a mosque , have " celebrated therein the law of ~ Mahomet . They have been
be" sieging Tyre ever since the feast of St . Martin , and are daily " throwing info it , from a vast number of military engines , stones o . f * ' an enormous size ; but the 3-outh Conrad , son to the marquis of - " Montferrat , supported by the Hospitallers and Templars , gallantly " maintains the place . On the eve of St . Silvester , seventeen" Christian galleysmanned by those brave knihtswith ten Sicilian
, g , " ships , commanded by general Margarit , ventured out of that har" bow , and attacked Saladine ' s fleet , ' which they defeated , as it were , " before his face . The great admiral of Alexandria , with eight " emirs , were taken prisoners ; eleven of his ships were captured , a
• "' great number were driven ashore , and set fire to by the infidels " themselves , to prevent their falling into the . Christians' hands . ¦ " Saladine next -day made his appearance in his camp , mounted on " his best horse , which had its ears and tail cut oft ; as an acknow ,-" ledgement of the defeat he had experienced , and t : ie trouble which .. " he felt in consequence of it . "
Tyre was . so vigorously defended by Conrad , that Saladine , after exerting every means to make himself master of it , raised the siege . The gallant defender of that important fortress was elected by tho inhabitants to the dignity and trust of Count of Tyre , as an acknowledgment of their gratitude for the service lie had rendered them . This , however , drew upon Conrad the hatred of Guy , king of Jerusalem , and the grand master of the Templars ; the latter of whom
seized a quantity of money which the king of England had sent to "Tyre . As for the count of Tripoli , he dictl about this time , the victim of despair and remorse , having fallen iindcr the displeasure of Saladine , who , though he loved the treason , yet hated the traitor by whose means he had obtained such signal success ! The deplorable condition . of . the Eastern Christians now impelled them to a fresh application for succours to their brethren in the West .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Brief History Of The Religious And Military Order Of The Knights Templars' Of St. John Of Jerusalem.
' K You shall know , great king , that the city of Jerusalem , with the " tower of David , have fallen into the hand ., of Sa . adine . The " Syriac Christians are permitted to attend the holy sepulchre till " the fourth dry after the feast of St . Michr . eh The Hospitallers ¦ " are ' allowed to continue a year to take caie of their sick . The knihts of StJohnwho in the castle of Besuvoirare
coli" g . , are , ;; ¦ " nually distinguishing themselves by their enterprizes against the " Saracens , from whom they have lately td- ; en two caravans laden ¦ " with the plunder which they found in the fortress of La Fere . . " Cai-ac , Mount-Royal , Sapheta of tlie Temple , Margat , Caste ! '" Blanco , Tripoli , and Antioch , still hold out against the Turks . " The sultan has taken the great cross from the dome of the church ,
- " which was built on the ground whete tlie Temple of Solomon ¦ " stoo , d , and caused it to be -dragged cpprobriously through tlie " streets , trampled under foot , and denied ivith dirt . The infidels . " have washed the church both inside and out with rose-water , by " way of purification , and , having converted it into a mosque , have " celebrated therein the law of ~ Mahomet . They have been
be" sieging Tyre ever since the feast of St . Martin , and are daily " throwing info it , from a vast number of military engines , stones o . f * ' an enormous size ; but the 3-outh Conrad , son to the marquis of - " Montferrat , supported by the Hospitallers and Templars , gallantly " maintains the place . On the eve of St . Silvester , seventeen" Christian galleysmanned by those brave knihtswith ten Sicilian
, g , " ships , commanded by general Margarit , ventured out of that har" bow , and attacked Saladine ' s fleet , ' which they defeated , as it were , " before his face . The great admiral of Alexandria , with eight " emirs , were taken prisoners ; eleven of his ships were captured , a
• "' great number were driven ashore , and set fire to by the infidels " themselves , to prevent their falling into the . Christians' hands . ¦ " Saladine next -day made his appearance in his camp , mounted on " his best horse , which had its ears and tail cut oft ; as an acknow ,-" ledgement of the defeat he had experienced , and t : ie trouble which .. " he felt in consequence of it . "
Tyre was . so vigorously defended by Conrad , that Saladine , after exerting every means to make himself master of it , raised the siege . The gallant defender of that important fortress was elected by tho inhabitants to the dignity and trust of Count of Tyre , as an acknowledgment of their gratitude for the service lie had rendered them . This , however , drew upon Conrad the hatred of Guy , king of Jerusalem , and the grand master of the Templars ; the latter of whom
seized a quantity of money which the king of England had sent to "Tyre . As for the count of Tripoli , he dictl about this time , the victim of despair and remorse , having fallen iindcr the displeasure of Saladine , who , though he loved the treason , yet hated the traitor by whose means he had obtained such signal success ! The deplorable condition . of . the Eastern Christians now impelled them to a fresh application for succours to their brethren in the West .