498 JOINVILLE'S MEMOIRS OF SAINT LOUI8 IX. [FT. IT. of Sur, Sir Gilles le Bran, constable of France, Sir Peter the chamberlain, the masters of the Temple and of the Hospital, and their men-at-arms. During the night we armed ourselves, and a little before day saw the plain in which was situated the city of Belinas,* called in Scripture Caeearea Philippi. There is within the city a beautiful fountain named Le Jour, and on the plain before the place, another fine spring, called Dain. From these two springs issue rivulets, which unite at some distance and form the river Jordan, in which our Lord Jesus Christ was baptized. By the advice of the count d'Anjou, and the masters of the Templars and Hospitallers, it was ordered, that the battalion of the king, in which I then was, with my knights, as were also the forty knights from Champagne, whom the king had put under my command, Sir Geoffry de Sergines, and the other brave men that were with us, should march between the castle and town; that the barons and landholders of the country should enter the town on the left, the Hospitallers on the right, and the master of the Templars, with his division, was to enter the place from the road by which we had come. Each body was now in motion ; and as we approached the back parts of the city we found many of our countrymen dead, whom the Saracens had killed and thrown over the walls. You must know the line we were to take was very dangerous ; for, in the first place, there were three walls to pass, and a bank so steep and broken, that no one could keep his saddle. On the top of this bank, which we were to ascend, was a large body of Turks on horseback. Perceiving that our people were at one place breaking down the walls, I wished to advance towards them skirmishing. As I was doing this, one of our men attempted to leap the wall, but he fell under his horse, which was also thrown down. When I saw this I dismounted, and, taking my horse by the bridle, ascended boldly towards the Turks ; but, as God willed it, they fled and left us the place. On the top there was a road cut in the rock which led to the city ; and the Saracens within the place no sooner saw us masters of the rock than they took to flight, and gave up the city without opposition to our army. * Called by the ancients " Panées," and 4 1 Casarca Phitippi." Noradin captured it from Humphrey de Toron in the year 1177.