A.D. 1218.] CAPTURE OF A TOWF.lt. of the vicinity of the city ; nor by undermining it, on account of the velocity of the river which surrounded it; nor could it be reduced by the missiles from their petrarhc and trebuchets, because, although they had attempted it for several days, they bad gained little or no advantage. In this dilemma they all came to the following determination, namely, to join some ships and cogs together and to prepare sealing ladders on the tops of the masts; on these they placed cross-bow men and soldiers, and by this plan they hoped to elfeet their purpose. The duke of Austria then anil the hospitallers of St. John constructed two scaling ladders on two of the cogs, which were raised against the tower about the feast of St. John, the Saracens all the time making a brave resistance. That of the hospitallers however was, sad to relate, broken, and their soldiers were precipitated into the river; the second ladder too, that of the duke of Austria, in like manner fell with the mast of the vessel, and the brave knights and soldiers Avere drowned in the Nile, but Christ took the souls of all of them to heaven crowned with glorious martyrdom. The Egyptians were overjoyed and derided the crusaders, sounding their trumpets to taunt them, while on the contrary the Christians were overcome by grief and despair. The Fricslanders and Germans under the command of Adolpbus de Monte-, a brave anil powerful noble, then fortified a ship with bulwarks and a small kind of castle at the top of the mast. This ship was fiercely attacked by the soldiers of the city, the tower, and bridge, with Greek fire and missiles, and was at length set on (ire; and wdien the Christians were afraid that it would be entirely consumed, the crew of the vessel by great exertions extinguished the fire, and then the cross-bow men inside caused great destruction amongst the Saracens ; other ships of the crusaders were, during this assault, fortified with bulwarks, and being made fast to the tower by anchors, sustained great loss of men and property. (If the capture of the aforesaid tower, and the wonderful prowess of the Christians. At length the Almighty having pointed out the following plan, and the architects, by his inspiration, having made provision for its execution, the army of the faith, at the expense