etta,
and the violent proceedings of the French Crusaders against the English
companions of their expedition, King Louis summoned a council of war to
deliberate on the measures most likely to lead to the conquest of
Egypt--the grand object of the saintly monarch's ambition.

By this time arrivals from various quarters had swelled the army that,
under the banner of St. Denis, lay encamped at Damietta. Thither, under
the grand masters of their orders, had come the Templars and the
Hospitallers, whose discipline and knowledge of the East rendered them
such potent allies. Thither had come the Duke of Burgundy, who had
passed the winter in the Morea; and the Prince of Achaia, who forgot the
perils surrounding the Latin empire of Constantinople, in his eagerness
to combat the Moslem on the banks of the Nile; thither, recovered from
their fright, had come the Crusaders whose vessels the storm had driven
on the Syrian coast; and thither, with the _arriere ban_ of France,
Alphonse, Count of Poictiers--'one of that princely quaternion of
brothers which came hither at this voyage, and exceeded each other in
some quality--Louis the holiest, Alphonse the subtlest, Charles the
stoutest, and Robert the proudest.' No fewer than sixty thousand
men--twenty thousand of whom were cavalry---were now encamped around the
oriflamme; and with such an army, led by such chiefs, the saint-king
would have been more than mortal if he had not flattered himself with
the hope of accomplishing something great, to be recorded by chroniclers
and celebrated by minstrels.

And the princes and nobles assembled to hold a council of war; and
Louis, with his crown on his brow, took his place to preside, with that
serene dignity which distinguished him. But, ere the proceedings began,
the Earl of Salisbury rose, and intimated his desire to address the king
on a subject of great importance. Louis immediately signified consent;
and the earl, raising his hand to ensure silence, proceeded with a calm
but resolute air:--

'Sire,' said he, 'I crave your pardon, and that of the princes and noble
warriors here assembled, for trespassing upon their time. But I have
that to state which demands your attention and interference, inasmuch as
it nearly concerns the safety and welfare and honour of the army of
pilgrims, of which you are the recognised chief. Sire,' continued the
earl, 'however others may plead ignorance of the circumstances, you, at
least, are fully informed