TJie Crusades 327 sent ambassadors to us with many gifts and offered to aid us and to surrender their walled places. But because our army was not large and it was the unani- mous wish to hasten on to Jerusalem, we accepted their pledges and made them tributaries. One of the cities for- sooth, which was on the seacoast, had more men than there were in our whole army. And when those at Antioch and Laodicea and Archas heard how the hand of the Lord was with us, many from the army who had remained in those cities followed us to Tyre. Therefore, with the Lord's companionship and aid, we proceeded thus as far as Jeru- salem. And after the army had suffered greatly in the siege, especially on account of the lack of water, a council was held, and the bishops and princes ordered that all should march around the walls of the city with feet bare, in order that he who entered it humbly in our behalf might be moved by our humility to open it to us and to exercise judgment upon his enemies. God was appeased by this humility, and on the eighth day after the humiliation he delivered the city and his enemies to us. It was the very day, indeed, on which the primitive Church was driven thence and on which the festival of the Dispersion of the Apostles is celebrated. And if you desire to know what was done with the enemy who were found there, know that in Solomon's Porch and in his temple our men rode in the blood of the Saracens up to the knees of their horses. Then when we were considering who ought to hold the city, and some, moved by love for their country and kins- men, wished to return home, it was announced to us that the king of Babylon 1 had come to Ascalon with an innumerable multitude of soldiers. His purpose was, as he said, to lead the Franks who were in Jerusalem into captivity, and to take Antioch by storm. But God had determined otherwise in regard to us. The cru- saders ad- vance upon Jerusalem. Capture of Jerusalem. Crusaders attacked by troops from Egypt. 1 An important city of Egypt at that time.
