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had been shaken, for the purpose of entering the city; and how the Turks repelled
them with spirit, both with arms and Greek fire.
At last the aforesaid tower was thrown down by the constant blows
of our petrari¾ and the pulling away of stones; and when King RichardÕs
men had ceased from undermining, and the assaults were discontinued,

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Itinerary
153
our esquires eager for praise and victory, and fitted and equipped for war,
armed themselves. Among them were the retainers of the earl of Leicester,
and those of Andrew de Cavegin and Hugo Brun; there also came, most
nobly arrayed. the bishop of Salisbury, and very many others. It was about
tierce,  i.e.  the hour of dinner, when the men of valour and the most
excellent esquires, prepared to attack the aforesaid tower, and forthwith
boldly mounted it. The sentinels of the Turks on seeing them began to
shout, and the whole city, being roused, took up arms with all haste, and
ran to oppose them; and the Turks pressed in dense numbers upon the
squires, who were nimbly making their way. While our men tried to enter
the city, and the Turks to drive them back, they met in a body and fought
hand to hand on both sides, right hand met right hand, and swords flashed
against swords; some seized hold of each other, others struck each other, Ñ
some were driven back, and others fell. Our men were few in numbers; the
multitude of the Turks increased constantly, and by throwing Greek fire,
they forced our men, who could not withstand it, to retire and descend
from the tower; some of them were killed by the enemy and afterwards
burnt to ashes by this destructive conflagration. Then the Pisans, either
thirsting for praise or revenge, mounted the tower in full force; but the
Turks again attacked them like madmen, and although the Pisans made a
bold resistance, they were compelled to retire and abandon the tower. For
there never was seen any thing like that race of Turks for efficiency in war.
The capture of the city would, however, have been accomplished on that
day, had the battle been fought with the whole combined army, and on a
prudent plan; but the greater part of the army was at dinner at the time,
and the attempt was a presumptuous one, and therefore did not succeed.
Chapter XV. Ñ A commendation of the Turks in the city, who sent Mestoc and
Caracois in despair to our kings, in order to obtain a respite until they should
consult Saladin, but they returned fruitlessly.
What can we say of this race of unbelievers who thus defended their
city? They must be admired for their valour in war, and were the honour of
their whole nation; and had they been of the right faith, they would not
have had their superiors as men throughout the world. Yet they dreaded

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Itinerary
154
our men, not without reason, for they saw the choicest soldiers from the
ranks of all Christendom come to destroy them; their walls in part broken
down, in part shattered, the greater portion of their army mutilated, some
killed, and others weakened by their wounds. There were still remaining in
the city 6,000 Turks, with Mestoc and Caracois, their chiefs, but they
despaired of succour. They perceived that the Christian army was very
much dejected at the death of Alberic Clements, and their sons and
kinsmen, who had fallen in battle, and that they were determined either to
die bravely or gain the mastery over the Turks, and that they thought a
middle course dishonourable. Under these circumstances, by common
counsel and assent, the besieged begged a truce in order to inform Saladin
of their condition, and to ascertain how far he would afford them security
according to the manner of barbarous nations, by either sending them
speedy help, or giving them leave to depart from the city with honour. To
obtain this object, two of the most noble of the Saracens and of Paganism,
Mestoc and Caracois, came to our kings with the promise that if Saladin
did not send them speedy assistance, they would give up the city, on the
condition that all the besieged Turks should be permitted to depart in
freedom, with their arms and property, and go whithersoever they liked.
And on the king of France and nearly all the French giving their assent to
this condition at the conference, King Richard absolutely refused his, and
said, it was not to be consented to, that after so long and laborious a siege,
they should enter a deserted city only. On his pleasure being known,
Caracois and Mestoc returned to the city without effecting their object. And
Saladin, when he learnt that ambassadors had been sent by the besieged,
commanded them to persevere and defend their city with as much courage
as that which they had hitherto shewn, promising that most ample
assistance should soon come to them without a doubt; for he declared to
the ambassadors who waited upon him, that he would certainly persevere,
and as he was expecting a large body of soldiers from Babylon, they would
soon come in ships and galleys; for he had given orders to Muleina to be
with him, without fail, in eight days; and if they did not come according to
agreement, he promised, with an oath, to procure for them as honourable a
peace as he could from the Christians, and the liberty to depart. On hearing

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