A.D. I2I9.] CAITUKK OF TANNIS CASTLE. missiles from the trebiichots of the templars, for Cod wished to deliver that city to his servants entire, as the key anil outwork of all the land of Egypt. The eity lies between Harnesses and the plain of Tannis in the land of Gcrscii, which, as the Christians conjectured, was the pasture whither the children of Israel (led from Pharaoh at the time of the famine, as is related in tin1 Old Testament. Of the capture of the castle of Tannis. Damictta being thus taken, about a thousand men were, on the feast of St. Clement,* sent as scouts in boats up a small river called Tannis, to seek for provisions from the fortresses and towns, and carefully to note the situations of places. On their approaching a castle called by the name of the river the Saracens who garrisoned it, on seeing the Christians, thought that the whole army was approaching, therefore they secured the gates and took to (light, and the Christians with only Christ as their leader eagerly entered the castle. The crusaders, on their return, declared that they had never seen a stronger castle ou a plain ; for it had seven strong towers, and breastworks above it all round ; it was surrounded by a double ditch, walled on both sides, and had an outwork; a lake spread itself around it to a distance, and on this account it was difficult of access to horse-soldiers in winter, and in summer so inaccessible that it could never be taken by siege by any army. This lake greatly abounded in fish, for from the sale of fish from it four thousand marks were paid to the soldan yearly. The place also abounded in birds and salt-pits. Many castles around were subservient to this one, for the city before the castle was once a wellknown place, and larger than Dainictta, but was afterwards a licit]) of ruins. This is the Tannis of which the prophet David has made mention in the psalm, as also Isaiah, '· The foolish chiefs of Tannis," &c. In this city Jeremiah is said to have been stoned, as yon arc told in the Old Testament. Tanuis is a day's journey distant from Daniietta. on the wa\ by sea towards the land of promise, so that it would he easv to place a garrison there, and to send provisions cither bv land or sea from Acre or Damictta. It had done much injury to the Christians during the siege of Daniietta, when their • November flirti.