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Article GHIVA.LET, ← Page 2 of 12 →
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Ghiva.Let,
Grand Master , who through sickness was unable to take ; part in the expedition , died at Acre a few days after this affair , and Bro . "William de Chartres was elected to the office . In the following year , a large body of Crusaders arrived from Europe , and the Templars , on board their galleys , set sail with them for Egypt , where they laid siege to the wealthy city of Darnietta . The Templars made the first lodgment , and battered down the gate
of the principal fort ; but notwithstanding this advantage , the new soldiery soon became tired of the -. war , and left the country ; the Templars maintained their position until the close of the aut umn . The customary inundation of the Nile was then at its height , and a strong wind arose , which impeding the descent of the waters into the Mediterranean , the Christian camp was overflowed , and the Templars lost
all their provisions , arms , and baggage . An epidemic ensued , which carried off mafiy of the Brethren , and among them the Grand Master ; a veteran Brother , Peter de Montagu , succeeded him . Coradin , the Sultan of Damascus , shortly afterwards arrived with his forces , and made a general assault on the Christian camp ; the footsoldiers gave way , but the Grand Master charged the assailants at the
head of his Knights , and drove them back . James of Vitry , bishop of Acre , who was present , says , The spirit of Gideon animated the Templars , and the rest of the army , stimulated by their example , bravely advanced to their support . Thus did the Lord on that day , through the valour of the Templars , save those who trusted in him . " Damietta afterwards surrendered ; but not before it was a solitude , as the
streets were strewed with dead—the whole population having perished by famine , disease , or the sword . Immediately after this event , the Grand Master , with his Knights , and the Hospitallers , returned to Palestine , where they were followed by the Sultan Coradin , who blockading Acre , laid siege to the Pilgrims' Castle , where , and in the intrenched camp , the Templars had gathered together a force of 4 , 000 men . The vast force of the infidels could gain no success against the gallant defenders , and in the numerous assaults the
Sultan lost six emirs and many men ; in one day he had 120 valuable horses slain . The funds of the two Orders being exhausted , they wrote to
Europe , urging pecuniary aid . The clergy , who had misapplied the money that had been raised for the defence of Palestine , joined in the outcry raised by some monks , with the historian Matthew Paris at their head , * against the Templars , for spending their funds in extensive buildings . These accusations were triumphantly refuted on
an investigation before the Pope ; and the Pontiff therefore wrote to the bishops of England , Prance , and Italy , to proclaim the innocence of the two Orders , and desired that these noble and generous protectors of the faith should be supported .
* Dr . Lingard , speaking of the History of Matthew Paris , says , " He lashed both clergy and laity , and seems to have collected every malicious and scandalous anecdote that could gratify his censorious dispositionr"
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Ghiva.Let,
Grand Master , who through sickness was unable to take ; part in the expedition , died at Acre a few days after this affair , and Bro . "William de Chartres was elected to the office . In the following year , a large body of Crusaders arrived from Europe , and the Templars , on board their galleys , set sail with them for Egypt , where they laid siege to the wealthy city of Darnietta . The Templars made the first lodgment , and battered down the gate
of the principal fort ; but notwithstanding this advantage , the new soldiery soon became tired of the -. war , and left the country ; the Templars maintained their position until the close of the aut umn . The customary inundation of the Nile was then at its height , and a strong wind arose , which impeding the descent of the waters into the Mediterranean , the Christian camp was overflowed , and the Templars lost
all their provisions , arms , and baggage . An epidemic ensued , which carried off mafiy of the Brethren , and among them the Grand Master ; a veteran Brother , Peter de Montagu , succeeded him . Coradin , the Sultan of Damascus , shortly afterwards arrived with his forces , and made a general assault on the Christian camp ; the footsoldiers gave way , but the Grand Master charged the assailants at the
head of his Knights , and drove them back . James of Vitry , bishop of Acre , who was present , says , The spirit of Gideon animated the Templars , and the rest of the army , stimulated by their example , bravely advanced to their support . Thus did the Lord on that day , through the valour of the Templars , save those who trusted in him . " Damietta afterwards surrendered ; but not before it was a solitude , as the
streets were strewed with dead—the whole population having perished by famine , disease , or the sword . Immediately after this event , the Grand Master , with his Knights , and the Hospitallers , returned to Palestine , where they were followed by the Sultan Coradin , who blockading Acre , laid siege to the Pilgrims' Castle , where , and in the intrenched camp , the Templars had gathered together a force of 4 , 000 men . The vast force of the infidels could gain no success against the gallant defenders , and in the numerous assaults the
Sultan lost six emirs and many men ; in one day he had 120 valuable horses slain . The funds of the two Orders being exhausted , they wrote to
Europe , urging pecuniary aid . The clergy , who had misapplied the money that had been raised for the defence of Palestine , joined in the outcry raised by some monks , with the historian Matthew Paris at their head , * against the Templars , for spending their funds in extensive buildings . These accusations were triumphantly refuted on
an investigation before the Pope ; and the Pontiff therefore wrote to the bishops of England , Prance , and Italy , to proclaim the innocence of the two Orders , and desired that these noble and generous protectors of the faith should be supported .
* Dr . Lingard , speaking of the History of Matthew Paris , says , " He lashed both clergy and laity , and seems to have collected every malicious and scandalous anecdote that could gratify his censorious dispositionr"