283 KOOEK OF WENDOVER. [A.D . 1213. duct to be granted them. On the following day, as the urgency of the case so much required it, the crusading army left Savardon, and hurried to the assistance of the castle of Murellc; the aforesaid bishops, however, determined to stay at a castle, called Hanterive, half-way between Savardon and Murelle, about two leagues from cither of them, there to await the return of their messengers; these when they did return brought word to the bishops from the king of Arragon, that he would not grant safe conduct to them, because, having come with such a large army, they did not want it. The. bishops, when they heard this, entered Murelle with the crusading army on Wednesday of the same week, and immediately sent two religious men to the king and the inhabitants of Toulouse, but they received with derision from the king the answer, that they wanted to have a conference with him on account of the four ribalds, which the bishops had brought with them ; but the citizens of Toulouse told them, the messengers, that they were allies of the king of Arragon, and would not do anything except the said king's pleasure. When the messengers had related this to the bishops, the latter determined to go unshod in company with tin- abbats to the king; but when their approach in this way was made known to the king, the gates of the city having been thrown open, and earl Montfort ami all the crusaders being unarmed, because the bishops were gone to treat for peace, the enemies of God treacherously attempted to force their way into the town, but by the grace of God they were balked in their design. The earl and the crusaders, seeing their pride, and being themselves wholesomely cleansed from their sins by contrition of heart and verbal confession, put on their armour and went to the bishop of Toulouse, who by authority of the lord archbishop of Carbonile, was discharging the functions of the legateship there, and humbly asked liis permission to sally forth against the enemies of the faith. As matters were at a crisis permission was granted them, and in the name of the Holy Trinity they sallied out in three bodies, but the enemies of the faith, on the other hand, came forth from their well fortified camp in several masses of troops, and although they were, a host in comparison with the crusaders, the servants of Christ, trusting to his assistance, and armed with valour from on high, bravely attacked them.