Christendom, and the Christian faith was as yet but in its infancy there, as it was only the year before that it had been wrested from the hands of the pagans, and had become Christian, as already mentioned. The people, therefore, on board the ship, being ignorant where they were, putting out a boat pulled for land, and learned, by certain indications, that the land was inhabited by Christians, and that there was no further [inland] any safe road for them without a good and sufficient escort. Accordingly they approached the city; and on learning the cause of their arrival, the bishop of the city of Silva, and the clergy and people, received them with congratulations, giving thanks to God for their arrival; for there were in the ship a hundred young men of prowess and well armed.

In the meantime Botac El Emir Amimoli, emperor of Africa and of Saracenic Spain, levying a large army, marched into the territories of Sancho, king of Portugal, to take vengeance for the emperor of Africa, his father, who had died six years before while besieging Santa Erena, a castle of king Alphonso, father of the said Sancho, king of Portugal. On this, the citizens of Silva, being alarmed, refused to allow these young men of London to leave them, but broke up their ship, and with the timbers of it made bulwarks for the city, promising and giving them all kinds of security that the king of Portugal would pay them well for the delay thus occasioned them, and the injury received in consequence of the loss of their ship; which was accordingly done.

The other nine ships of the fleet of the king of England which had been out in the same storm, made land in different parts of Spain; after which, by the guidance of God, sailing up the river Tagus, they at last arrived at the city of Lisbon. In this city of Lisbon rests the body of Saint Vincent the Martyr. Before they had arrived there, the before-named emperor of Africa, on the day of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, forded the river Tagus, and all his army with him, and laid siege to a castle of Sancho, king of Portugal, which is called Torresnovas. On this, the king of Portugal sent envoys to the strangers who had come in the ships to the city of Lisbon, and asked succours of them against the Saracens.

Accordingly, five hundred men, well armed, and selected from all the ships that had arrived, as being the bravest and most courageous, preferred to die in war for the name of Jesus Christ, rather than behold the misfortunes of their race and its

extermination; and, leaving their ships and companions, proceeded up the river Tagus to Santa Erena, which is distant from the city of Lisbon two days' march, where they found Sancho, king of Portugal, utterly destitute both of resources and counsel; for he had but few soldiers, and nearly all of those without arms, and the emperor had already taken the castle of the king which he had besieged, and had laid siege to another castle, which is called Thomar, and is a castle of the Templars. On hearing of the arrival of the foreigners, the emperor was greatly alarmed, and, sending ambassadors to the king of Portugal, demanded of him Silva, on obtaining which, he would depart with his army, and restore to him the castle which he had taken, and would keep peace with him for seven years; but when the king of Portugal refused to do this, he sent him word that on the following day he would come to lay siege to Santa Erena.

On this, the king of Portugal, taking counsel with the strangers who had come in the ships, placed his men in the towers, and at the strongest bastions of the walls; while the foreigners who had come in the ships chose for their position the weaker parts of the city, employing their own courage as their walls. On the following day, when all were prepared for the attack, and there was every moment a murmuring at the gates, to the effect that he would be there that instant and without delay, a messenger came on a sudden, and thus said: "The emperor has been dead these three days, and his army is taking to flight!" and, while he was still speaking, there came two, and then three, and then still more, all of whom spoke to the like effect.

Accordingly, the king and all the people believed them, and the city was filled with gladness and exultation; and, on the next day, the king gave to the men who had come from the ship leave to return to them, promising that he would handsomely reward them for their labours. However, before they had arrived at their ships, Robert de Sabul and Richard de Camville came to Lisbon with sixty-three great store-ships of the king of England; (a store-ship is the same as a transport-ship)." Some, however, of the men who had come under the command of Robert de Sabul and Richard de Camville were evil-doers and vicious persons; for, on disembarking from the ships, they made their way into the city of Lisbon, and as they went through the streets and lanes, talked to the people 61 "Storium”—“ navigium.”

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of the city giving themselves airs, and then committed violence upon the wives and daughters of the citizens. They also drove away the pagans and Jews, servants of the king, who dwelt in the city, and plundered their property and possessions, and burned their houses; and they then stripped their vineyards, not leaving them so much as a grape or a cluster.

When this became known to the king of Portugal, the lord of the city of Lisbon, he came with all haste with a powerful hand; but on finding there Robert de Sabul and Richard de Camville, with the fleet of the king of England, he manifested towards them a cheerful countenance and a peaceful disposition, bearing with patience the injuries done to himself and his people. On the day after the king's arrival, the commanders of the fleet exacted an oath from all the men of the fleet that they would faithfully keep and inviolably observe the beforementioned statutes enacted by the king of England.

However, in the course of three days, a quarrel ensued between the people of Lisbon and some of those who had come in the ships, in consequence of which, many persons were slain on both sides in a skirmish that ensued, and the noise of the people came to the king's ears. On this, the gates of the city were immediately closed, and all who had gone from the ships into the city, for the purpose of obtaining provisions and drink, were taken and thrown into prison, in number seven hundred men. Before they were released from the custody of the king, the king of Portugal made peace with Robert de Sabul and Richard de Camville on such terms as he pleased, that is to say, to the following effect: that past injuries should be mutually overlooked, and that they should strictly keep the peace towards the pilgrims throughout all his territories; and it was further agreed that the arms and all other things which had been lost in the affray should be given up on either side.

This having been done, Robert de Sabul and Richard de Camville left the city of Lisbon with the fleet of the king of England, on the vigil of Saint James the Apostle, being the fourth day of the week, and, on the same day, came to the inlet where the Tagus falls into the sea. On the same day also, William de Forts de Oleron arrived there with thirty great ships of the fleet of the king of England; in consequence of which, there were together at the same place one hundred store-ships of the king of England, and six great ships laden with warriors, provisions, and arms. On the day after the

feast of Saint James the Apostle, being the sixth day of the week, Robert de Sabul, Richard de Camville, and William de Forts de Oleron left the port of Lisbon with the fleet of the king of England, and passed by a great mountain which projects into the sea, and is called Espichel, as also the port of Dalchatht, and Palmella, and Sinnes, formerly a sandy tract of land extending into the sea; they then passed the port of Deordunite, and then a great and lofty mountain which extends into the sea, and is called Cape Saint Vincent; on which the body of Saint Vincent lay many ages entombed, until it was transferred to the city of Lisbon.

After this, they passed the port of Silva, which at that time was the most remote city of the Christians in those parts of Spain. They next passed a city of the pagans, which is called Santa Maria de Hayrun; and it is worthy of remark why this city is called Santa Maria de Hayrun. Hayrun is the name of the place in which the city was founded, while the Christians who built it gave it the other name, and, in memory of Mary, the blessed Mother of God, they placed a stone image of her on the walls. After this, when the pagans prevailed over the Christians, they gained possession of this place, and, on finding the image standing upon the walls, they cut off its head, feet, and arms, in contempt of the faith of Christ and of Saint Mary, and threw it at a distance into the sea. On this being done, the sea and land became unproductive, and famine prevailed in that land to such a degree, that nearly every thing, men and animals, died of hunger; upon which, all the elders of the people, and the youths, from the highest to the lowest, weeping day and night, and doing penance in sackcloth and ashes, recalled to mind the image whose head, hands, and feet they had cut off, and said: "We have sinned, we have acted unrighteously, we have done iniquitously, inasmuch as we have cut off that head, and those hands and feet. For what evil had they done? Let us, therefore, seek them, and let us put them in their places, that thus, at least, God may turn away His wrath from us, and from this city." Thus saying, they threw their nets into the sea, where they had thrown the head, and hands, and feet of the image, and, drawing them upon land in their nets, they placed the head on the neck, the hands

62 It is hardly necessary to say, that many of the places here mentioned cannot be recognized, as being no longer in existence, even if the names were correctly given in the text, which is far from being the case.

on the arms, and the legs on the thighs, and soldered them with gold and silver of the finest and purest quality; after which, they placed the image in an honored locality, and it is held in great veneration even to the present day. Immediately upon this, the famine ceased, and the earth yielded her increase.

After this, they passed the castle which is called Merell, and then the port of Hodiene; they next passed the port of Calice, 62 and then a mountain, which is called Montaluc. They then passed a sandy piece of land projecting into the sea, which is called Cape Almilan, and then a castle and port, the name of which is Saltis; after which, they arrived before the Port of Seville, the name of which is Windelkebir; between Seville and the Port there is a castle midway, which is called Captal.

They now came to the Straits of Africa, and passed through these Straits on the first day of August, being the feast of Saint Peter ad Vincula, and the fifth day of the week. Here the Mediterranean Sea begins, which Sea is so called, because it is surrounded by land on every side, with the exception of one inlet and one outlet; the one of which is called the Straits of Africa, and the other the Arm of Saint George, 63 at the city of Constantinople. It is also worthy of remark, that, from the entrance to the Straits of Africa, as far nearly as Ascalon, on the right-hand side of the ship [as it sails], lie the territories of the pagans; and on the opposite side, from the entrance of the Straits of Africa as far as the great mountain which is called Muncian,64 is Saracenic Spain, which you leave behind to the left of the ship. It is also worthy of observation, that, according to calculations made by mariners, the entry to the Straits of Africa, from one shore to the other, is not more than six miles in width, on each side of which there is a large mountain, the one in Spain, called Calpe, the other in Africa, opposite to it, called Atlas. At the entrance of these Straits there are several cities in Africa near the sea-shore, the names of which are Bethe, Dudenardi, Esparte, Thange, Cacummin, Muee, Botoos, and Scep," which is the most noble of all the cities of Africa. In Spain, on the opposite side, are several cities and castles, the names of which are Beche, Dudemarbait, Leziratarif, Gezehakazera," the island of Jubaltaria," Mertell, 62 Now Cadiz. 63 The Bosphorus, or Straits of Constantinople, were so called from the church of Saint George, which was built on the shore in the suburbs of Constantinople. 64 Probably Montserrat. 66 By this and the preceding name, Algeziras 67 Gibraltar.

Perhaps Ceuta.

and Tarifa are probably meant,