The History of the Knights Templars, the Temple Church, and the TempleAddison, C. G. (Charles Greenstreet)
History
The History of the Knights Templars, the Temple Church, and the Temple
Addison, C. G. (Charles Greenstreet)
Templars -- History
"When they had travelled two miles, they came to the city of Saphet. It
was a lovely morning, and they determined to march no further until they
had heard mass. They accordingly turned towards the house of the bishop
and awoke him up, and informed him that the day was breaking. The bishop
accordingly ordered an old chaplain to put on his clothes and say mass,
after which they hastened forwards. Then they came to the castle of La
Feue, (a fortress of the Templars,) and there they found, outside the
castle, the tents of the convent of Caco pitched, and there was no one to
explain what it meant. A varlet was sent into the castle to inquire, but
he found no one within but two sick people who were unable to speak. Then
they marched towards Nazareth, and after they had proceeded a short
distance from the castle of La Feue, they met a brother of the Temple on
horseback, who galloped up to them at a furious rate, calling out, Bad
news, bad news; and he informed them how that the Master of the Hospital
had had his head cut off, and how of all the brothers of the Temple there
had escaped but three, the Master of the Temple and two others, and that
the knights whom the king had placed in garrison at Nazareth, were all
taken and killed."[189]
In the great battle of Tiberias or of Hittin, fought on the 4th of July,
which decided the fate of the holy city of Jerusalem, the Templars were in
the van of the Christian army, and led the attack against the infidels.
The march of Saladin's host, which amounted to eighty thousand horse and
foot, over the hilly country, is compared by an Arabian writer, an
eye-witness, to mountains in movement, or to the vast waves of an agitated
sea. The same author speaks of the advance of the Templars against them
at early dawn in battle array, "horrible in arms, having their whole
bodies cased with triple mail." He compares the noise made by their
advancing squadrons to the _loud humming of bees_! and describes them as
animated with "a flaming desire of vengeance."[190] Saladin had behind him
the lake of Tiberias, his infantry was in the centre, and the swift
cavalry of the desert was stationed on either wing, under the command of
_Faki-ed-deen_ (teacher of religion.) The Templars rushed, we are told,
like lions upon the Moslem infidels, and nothing could withstand their
heavy and impetuous charge. "Never," says an Arabian doctor of the law,
"have I seen a bolder or more powerful army, nor one more to be feared by
the believers in the true faith."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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