his Paganisme, and embraced Christianity; and that he intend∣ed to send messengers to Pope Innocent to be further instructed in his religion. But some Christians which were in Tartary dis∣swaded him from so doing, left the Tartarians coming to Rome should behold the dissolutenesse of mens lives there, and so re∣fuse to suck the milk of sweet doctrine from so sowre and bitter nipples, besmeared about with bad and scandalous conversati∣on. Yea, never could the Christian religion be shewed to Pa∣gans at any time on more disadvantages: Grecians and Latines were at deadly feud; amongst the Latines, Guelfes and Gibel∣lines sought to ruine each other: Humility was every-where preached, and pride practised: They perswaded others to la∣bour for heaven, and fell out about earth themselves: Their lives were contrary to their doctrines, and their doctrines one to another.
But as for these Embassadours, King Lewis received them ve∣ry courteously, dismissing them with bounteous gifts. And by them he sent to their master a Tent, wherein the history of the Bible was as richly as curiously depicted in needle-work; ho∣ping thus to catch his soul in his eyes, and both in that glorious present: Pictures being then accounted lay-mens books, though since of many condemned as full of errata's, and never set forth by authority from the King of heaven to be means or workers of faith.
Whilest Lewis stayed in Cyprus, the Templars in the Holy land began to have his greatnesse in suspicion. This Order (as both the other, of Hospitallers and Teutonicks) though mown down to the bare roots at the last unfortunate battel, yet now in three yeares space sprung up as populous as ever before; their other brethren which lived in their severall Covents and Com∣mandries over all Europe, having now refurnished the houses in Palestine.
Now these Templars were loth King Lewis should come to Ptolemais, though they counterfeited he should be very wel∣come there. They formerly there had commanded in chief without controll, and were unwilling, having long sat in the sad∣dle, now to dismount and hold the stirrup to another. Besides, they would not have so neat and cleanly a guest see their sluttish houses, fearing Lewis his piety would shame their dissolutenesse (being one so godly in his conversation, that by the preaching in his life he had converted many Saracens) yea, perchance he being a strict Disciplinarian would punish their vitious manners. Wherefore they wrote to him out of Syria, to accept of a peace with the Sultan of Egypt now offered, and to proceed no fur∣ther in warre against him.
The French King, whose heart was ever open to any fair