them, and, making the sign of the cross, said, 4 4 Thus died St Agnes." Sir Guy d'Ebelin, constable of Cyprus, knelt beside me, and confessed himself to me ; and I gave him such absolution as God was pleased to grant me the power of bestowing ; but of all the things he had said to me, when I arose up I could not remember one of them. W e were confined in the hold of the galley, and laid heads and heels together. We thought it had been so ordered because they were afraid of attacking us when we were in a body, and that they would destroy us one at a time. This danger lasted the whole night. I had my feet right on the face of the count Peter of Brittany, whose feet, in return, were beside my face. On the morrow we were taken out of the hold, and the admirals sent to inform us that we might renew the treaties we had made with the sultan. Those who were able went thither ; but the earl of Brittany, the constable of Cyprus, and myself, who were grievously ill, remained on board. The earl of Flanders, the count de Soissons, and the others who had gone to parley with the admirals, related to us the convention for our delivery ; and the admirals promised, that as soon as Damietta should be surrendered to them, they would give liberty to the king and the other great personages now prisoners. They told them, that had the sultan lived, he would have had the king beheaded, with the others ; and that, contrary to the treaties entered into, and the promises made to the king, he had already transported to Babylon several of their most considerable men ; that they had slain the sultan, because they knew well that the moment he should have been master of Damietta he would have had them instantly murdered, or would have put them to death when in confinement. By this new agreement, the king was to swear to leave at thefr disposal 200,000 livres before he quitted the river, and the other 200,000 he should pay in Acre. They declared they would detain, for their security, all the sick in Damietta, the cross-bows, armours, machines, and salted meats, until the king should send for them, and should have paid the balance of his ransom. The oath, which was on this occasion to be taken by the king and the admirals, was drawn up ; and on the part of the 2 ο