The Deeds of God Through the FranksGuibert, Abbot of Nogent-sous-Coucy
History
The Deeds of God Through the Franks
Guibert, Abbot of Nogent-sous-Coucy
Crusades -- First, 1096-1099
They were unable to buy bread during the siege, and for nearly ten
days food was difficult to find anywhere, until God brought help, and
our fleet reached the port of Jaffa. In addition, the army also
suffered from thirst, and they not only were worn out by this great
discomfort, but they had to drive their horses and pack animals a
great distance, six miles, to find water, all the while fearful that
the enemy might attack them. The fountain of Siloah, famous for
having cured the blind man in the Gospel,[210] which rises from
springs on mount Zion, supplied them with water, which was sold to
them at the highest prices. After messengers had announced that the
fleet had arrived at Jaffa, the leaders held a meeting and decided to
send a group of knights to the harbor to guard the ships and the men
in them. Early in the morning, at the crack of dawn, Raymond, of
whom we have spoken often, together with two other nobles, took 100
knights from the army of his lord, the count of Saint-Gilles, and set
out for the port, with his customary decisiveness. Thirty of the
knights separated from the main group and came upon approximately 700
Turks, Arabs, and Saracens, whom the king of Babylon had sent to
watch our comings and goings. Although greatly outnumbered, our men
forcefully attacked their troops, but the strength and ferocity of
the enemy was so great that we were threatened on all sides with
imminent death. They killed one of the two leaders, whose name was
Achard, as well as some of the most respected among the poor and the
foot-soldiers. As they were surrounding our men, pressing them with
arms on all sides, so that they were about to despair utterly, one
man came to the above-mentioned Raymond and told him of the plight of
his peers. "Why do you and your men remain here? See how your men,
who recently separated from you, are now fiercely surrounded by an
swarm of Saracens and Arabs. Unless you bring them help very quickly,
you will undoubtedly soon find them dead, if they have not already
perished. Therefore fly, hurry, I say, so that you may not be too
late." Together with all of his nobles, Raymond quickly set off to
look at the place where the fighting was going on. In preparing for
combat he placed his faith not in arms, not in strength, but in faith
in the Saviour. When the Gentile troops saw the Christian army, they
swiftly broke up into two groups. Calling upon the Most High for
support, our men attacked with such force that each man knocked the
opponent charging at him to the ground. Judging themselves unable to
withstand the onslaught of the Christians, the pagans stopped, and,
driven by fear, fled swiftly. Our men followed them quickly,
pursuing them for four miles. After having killed many of them, they
brought back 103 horses as trophies of victory. They refrained from
killing only one man, whom they brought back with them, and from whom
they learned everything that was going on among their enemies,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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