WHILE Louis, in captivity and chains, was exhibiting the dignity of a gentleman and the resignation of a Christian, Margaret of Provence was proving herself not unworthy of such a husband.
At first, the rumors of the calamities of the crusaders which reached Damietta were vague and uncertain; but ere long intelligence that the whole army had been destroyed, produced general consternation. Some degree of selfishness was, of course, displayed. The Pisans and Genoese immediately bethought them of securing their own safety; the ladies of the crusaders bewailed the fate of their lords and their own extreme peril; and the Queen, who was on the point of becoming a mother, was afflicted to such a degree, that a knight, who had seen more than eighty summers, but whose heart still overflowed with chivalry, was under the necessity of guarding her chamber by day and by night. At one time, her imagination conjured up a fearful scene, in which a body of Saracens appeared butchering her husband; at another, she believed that the Saracens had entered her chamber, and were about to kill her; and scarcely had she sunk exhausted and closed her eves in sleep, when she was startled by some fearful dream, and sprang up in terror and dismay.
"Help, help!" shouted -the afflicted Queen, a they are upon us."
"Madam," said the aged Knight, "do not be alarmed. I am with you. Dismiss your fears."
"Sir Knight," exclaimed the unhappy woman, throwing herself on her knees, "promise that you will grant me the favor I am about to ask."
"I give you my oath, madam," answered the old warrior, "that I will comply with your wishes."
"Then, sir Knight," said the Queen, "I request, by the faith you have pledged, that if the Saracens should take the city, you will cut off my head rather than allow me to fall into their hands."
"Madam," said the old Knight, "I have already thought of doing so, in case the worst should befall."
Margaret after this scene was more composed; and, on the third day alter receiving the sad intelligence, she gave birth to her son John. Hardly, however, had she wept over this "child of misery," when she was informed that the Pisans and Grenoese, in their discontent, were about to abandon Damietta and return to their homes. On receiving this alarming intelligence, Margaret ordered the chief male-contents to be brought to her chamber, and addressed them from her couch.
"Gentlemen," said the Queen, raising her head, "for the love of God, do not leave this city; foe you know well if you do, that you will utterly ruin the King and his army. Be moved by my tears, and have compassion on the poor child whom yon see lying by my side."
"Madam," said the Pisans and Genoese, utterly unmoved by the tears and supplications of the distressed Queen, "we have no provisions left; and we cannot stay longer at the risk of dying of hunger."
"Fear not," said the Queen. "You shall not die of hunger. I will cause all the provisions in the place to be bought, and distributed henceforth in the name of the King."
On receiving this assurance, the Pisans and Genoese consented to remain; and Margaret, at the cost of three hundred and sixty thousand ltvres, provided for their subsistence. But the men whom the Queen thus retained as a garrison, were not likely to make any formidable resistance in the event of a siege; and doubtless it was not without dismay that Margaret heard of a Saracenic host's approach.
It appears that while Margaret was providing for the defence of Damietta, with a spirit which almost entitles her to a place in history beside such heroines as the Countesses of Salisbury, Dunbar, and Derby, the Saracens, finding that Louis would not consent to surrender the city, conceived the idea of taking it by force. " Why do we hesitate?" they asked, " when we can obtain Damietta whether this petty prince is willing or unwilling?"
An attack on Damietta was soon decided on; and the Saracens, having mustered a numerous army, and arrayed themselves in the armor of the crusaders, marched towards the city. Displaying the banners of the captive pilgrims, the Eastern warriors approached the walls, hoping to pass themselves as French, and thus, by obtaining access without opposition, to secure an easy victory. But on this point they found themselves mistaken. At first, indeed, the defenders of Damietta were deceived; but, on closer inspection, they suspected a stratagem, and rushed to guard the gates and approaches.
The Saracens, mortified with this reception, imperiously demanded admission, and told the French that their King and all his knights had perished. But the Christians in Damietta, shouting out a loud defiance, guarded every approach with vigilance, and repulsed every attempt with alacrity. "Whatever may have happened," said they, "we are prepared to stand a siege; and we will withstand all assaults of the Sara-cans till the warriors we expect from the West come to our relief."
Finding their foes so determined, and probably unaware of the weakness of the garrison, the Saracens beat a retreat, and returned to Mansourah, with tidings that, in spite of all calamities, the crusaders were too formidable to be despised. The Christians at Damietta then breathed more freely. But the prospect before Queen Margaret and those who shared her peril was not agreeable. They could no longer doubt that the destruction of the French army had been accomplished, since they had seen the armor and ensigns, and painted devices, of the crusaders in possession of the enemy; and the hope of aid from Europe was indeed slender. Besides, their strength was rapidly failing, and even the Queen's high spirit could hardly have animated them to renewed exertions. But, while the defenders of Damietta were looking to the futuire with apprehension, events occurred which startled hoth Asia and Europe, shook the empire of the Sultan to its foundation, and opened the prison doors of the saintly King and liis faithful knights.
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From John G. Edgar
The Crusades and the Crusaders, 1860
