Before this assembly, the ambassadors from the emperor delivered their message, which was to the following effect. The emperor demanded from the king, as his feudal vassal, that he should immediately banish from the country Johann von Ibelin and his whole family, and no longer afford them shelter or protection, seeing that they had broken their allegiance. To this mandate the following reply was given by Wilhelm Visconta, in the name of the infant king: “My lords, I am commanded and commissioned by the king to say to you, that it appears to him very strange that the emperor should send such an order to me. The governor of Beyrut is a relative of Ibelin, and I neither can nor will do what the emperor requires.” After waiting many days it became evident that it would be impossible to effect a landing, and the authority of the Emperor Frederick over the island was henceforth set at defiance. When Ibelin had marched within four leagues of Akkon, he learnt that the Patriarch of Antioch was sent as Pope’s legate to that city, and had demanded his immediate presence. Notwithstanding the suspicions Ibelin entertained, that the legate was about to denounce him as a rebel, he felt bound, as a good servant of the Church, to obey the summons. He therefore caused his troops to encamp near Casal Imbert, and placed his trustworthy follower, Anselm von Brie, in command, whilst he proceeded to Akkon, and endeavoured by every means in his power to undermine his enemies and strengthen his own cause. Meanwhile Marshal Felingher decided on making one decisive blow for his master’s interests. Towards dusk on the evening of May the 2nd, he left Tyre with his best troops, and marched towards the coast, where he was followed by twenty-two ships bearing the rest of his army. Towards morning they approached the unfortunate camp, and before the slightest alarm could be raised, had fallen upon it and butchered the soldiers, whilst still asleep. Here and there a slight attempt was made at resistance, and Ibelin’s three sons made a gallant but desperate effort to drive off the enemy. The attack, however, had been too sudden to allow the soldiers to recover from the shock, and all such as did not perish found safety in precipitate flight. The king narrowly escaped with his life, he having been hurried out of the camp at the first alarm of danger. The imperial victory was complete, Ibelin’s troops were entirely scattered or destroyed, and all the valuables of the camp were taken possession of by the enemy. As soon as it was known that Marshal Felingher had left Tyre, Ibelin and his knights at once mounted their horses and rode as rapidly as possible towards the camp, but before they arrived, friends and enemies had alike quitted the ground, and nothing remained except a handful of men who had taken refuge in a small and neighbouring tower.