day by day in such sort increased, that men were not only now no more to be found, to visit, comfort, succor, serve and help the Sick; but were wanting also to bury them, to draw them out of their Beds and Houses, and to separate the Living from the Dead; the Streets and Houses full of dead Bodies, gave forth a most horrible stink, with a most grievous and infectious Air; there was not any place clear from the Plague, or any man that could boast he had not been at∣tainted therewith, or the fear thereof▪ and re∣medy there was none. The rage and fury of these two Devourers, the Famine, and Plague, devoured them without number, choosing rather so to die, than to submit themselves to their Enemies; or to humble themselves so low, as to crave their Fa∣vour. That they within were thus pinched with Famine, the Christians knew; but that the Plague so raged amongst them, they knew not. Now the Christians had of purpose cast up certain Trenches and Baricadoes, for the keeping in of such as the Famine should enforce to come out of the Town; thinking that the besieged, to ease their wants, would thrust the baser sort of the people and un∣profitable mouths out of the City; unto whom the Christians meant not to give any passage; for they having long before so straightly environed the City, as that no relief could be brought unto it, lay now still expecting when the besieged, enforc'd by necessity, should yield themselves; and so with∣out loss of any man, to become Masters of so strong and rich a Town. It was now more than a year that the Christians had thus lien at the Siege of Da∣miata, when as certain of the Souldiers upon a bravery adventured with a few scaling Ladders to mount the Wall; in which doing, finding no re∣sistance, and withall hearing so great silence, as if there had been no body within the City, they stood still a great while hearkening, but seeing that dumb silence still to continue, they returned unto the Camp, giving the Captains to understand how the matter stood; who at the first thought it to be some policy and fineness of the deceitful E∣nemy; yet afterward they thought it good to ad∣venture certain men, to prove their fortune, and to cause certain companies well appointed to scale one of the Bulwarks of the City, in such sort, as if they should have gon against a puissant Enemy, that had had the power to resist them. And here∣upon were scaling Ladders brought forth, and all things made ready, as for a great Assault. So the Christians couragiously mounting the Ladders, without resistance took the Bulwak.Damiata without resistance taken by the Christi∣ans. But as they were entring farther into the Town, a small Com∣pany of the Turks and Barbarians (all the Soul∣diers that the Fury of the Plague had left, and they also with the Famine and Infection of the Air very weak and feeble) met them, and began to make some small resistance, but to no purpose, be∣ing forthwith all cut in pieces. Which done, the matter wherewith the Gates of the City were mured, was presently removed, the Gates set open, and the Christians with Ensigns displaied let in. But even at the very entring in at the Gates, they were attainted with a most grievous and horrible stink, they saw a fair City dispeopled, and that which was most fearful to behold,Damiata unpeopled by the Plague. the Streets co∣vered with bodies of the dead, and such a dreadful desolation, as might move even the Enemy himself to compassion. The Christians were entred, as men appointed to have done a great execution, and to have made the Channels run with blood, as men justly provoked with the long Siege, and the pains they had endured; they had their Swords and Weapons in their Hands, but found none against whom to use them; for a man could not enter into any House, or go into any Street, but he must pass over the dead, or others, which being not yet altogether dead, were miserably drawing toward their end. Of seventy thousand persons in the City, were not found above three thousand alive, and those for the most part yet young Chil∣dren; for all the rest were dead, taken away ei∣ther with the Sword, Famine or the Plague; the greatest part whereof lay yet stinking above the ground unburied. These three thousand that were left, were so maigre and poor, that pity it was to behold them; unto whom their lives were granted upon condition that they would make clean the City, and bury the dead, which they were three months in doing.Thus was Damiata taken by the Christians the fifth day of November, in the year 1221, after it had been more than a year by them besieged. The Spoil there taken was great, for besides the rich Merchandize brought thither from far, was found great store of Gold, Silver, and precious Stones. The Christians thus enriched, and the City made clean, staied there more than a year after, as in a Colony wherein they had been willing to dwell, forgetful of their own Country. In the beginning of these Wars, the Princes of the Army had with one consent agreed, That whatsoever City or Territory should by them be taken from the Turks or Infidels, should be given unto the King of Ie∣rusalem, whom after the departure of the King of Hungary, they had made General of the whole Army. But now that the City was taken, Pela∣gius the Legate, pretending, That by the vertue of his Legation, it belonged unto him to dispose of all things taken in that sacred War, (as a man not unmindful of his Master) adjudged the City from thenceforth to belong unto the See of Rome. With which indignity and wrong, the King inwardly discontented, (and yet for the Authority of the Legate, dissembling the matter) withdrew himself, and so retired to Ptolemais.The year following, Pelagius weary to see the Arms of the Christians to corrupt with rust, and nothing doing, considering the desire and hope he had utterly to have ruinated the Infidels, together with their Superstition, commanded, That every man should again take up Arms for the prosecu∣ting of this War against the Sultan, and the be∣sieging of Caire. But for all that, when he had commanded what he would, or could, the Soul∣diers little regarding his command with one voice cryed out, that they would not be commanded by any, but by the King of Ierusalem only. So that the Legate, enforced by the Souldiers, was glad to send unto the King, to request him again to re∣turn to Damiata, and to take upon him the charge for the managing of that War, taken in hand for the defence of the Christian Religion; who for all that excused himself from so doing, one while by his own particular Affairs, another while by his own indisposition; yet in fine, pressed and over∣come with the prayers and requests of the other Latine Princes, he returned to Damiata, at the self same time, that the Duke of Bavaria arrived there with a goodly company of brave men, brought thither out of his own Country, after he had been now from thence ten months absent.The Legate desirous of the prosecution of this War, requested and urged the King,Pelagius the Legate perswadet the Princes of the Chri∣stian Army to proceed for the con∣quest of E∣gypt. with the rest of the Princes and great Commanders, without delay to take the Field, telling them, that the En∣terprise of the holy War was grown old, and cold, by those long delaies and protracting of the time; and that they which kept Wars so far from home, ought to make hast to force the Enemy, to take all occasions, to lose no time, but ever to be doing; and to prove all things for the annoying of the Enemy; and that that was the way, whereby 0