Page:A History of the Knights of Malta, or the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.djvu/78

CHAPTER III.

1187—1230.

Description of the ruins of the Hospital at Jerusalem—Its establishment at Margat—Retirement of the ladies of the Order to Europe—The third Crusade—Siege and capture of Acre—Guy de Lusignan made king of Cyprus—Reforms of Aiphonso of Portugal—His resignation and death— Fourth Crusade—Capture of Constantinople by the Latins—Dissensions between the Templars and Hospitaflers—Andrew, king of Hungary, admitted into the Order—Fifth Crusade—Siege and capture of Damietta—Advance into Egypt—Fatal results of the expedition—Marriage of the emperor Frederic with Violante—Treaty with the Saraoens— Coronation of Frederic at Jerusalem—His return to Europe and persecution of the military Orders—Accusations brought against the knights of St. John.

Jerusalem had fallen, and was now in the possession of Saladin. That chief, in the hour of his triumph, behaved with a generosity hardly to have been anticipated from his previous conduct. Instead of enacting scenes of carnage, such as those which had disgraced the entry of the Christians in the preceding century, he took every precaution that no license should be permitted. He allowed the military, the nobles, and all who had borne arms to proceed to Tyre, and he fixed the ransom of the civil population of the town at the rate often crowns per man, failing the payment of which they were to become slaves. In many instances, at the supplication of the queen, he was induced to forego the demand of this ransom, and the Hospitallers freely lavished what remained in their already nearly-exhausted treasury to purchase the liberty of others, so that the number of those who were eventually doomed to slavery was comparatively small, lie also permitted ten of the fraternity of the hospital, in consideration of their charitable functions, to remain for a limited period within the city to complete the cure