Now, About The Time That They Reached Layas, Bendocquedar, The Soldan Of
Babylon, Invaded Hermenia With A Great Host Of
Saracens, and ravaged the
country, so that our Envoys ran a great peril of being taken or slain.
[NOTE 3]
And when the Preaching Friars saw this they were greatly
frightened, and said that go they never would. So they made over to Messer
Nicolas and Messer Maffeo all their credentials and documents, and took
their leave, departing in company with the Master of the Temple.[NOTE 4]
NOTE 1. - Friar William, of Tripoli, of the Dominican convent at Acre,
appears to have served there as early as 1250. [He was born circa 1220, at
Tripoli, in Syria, whence his name. - H. C.] He is known as the author of a
book, De Statu Saracenorum post Ludovici Regis de Syria reditum,
dedicated to Theoldus, Archdeacon of Liege (i.e. Pope Gregory). Of this
some extracts are printed in Duchesne's Hist. Francorum Scriptores.
There are two MSS. of it, with different titles, in the Paris Library, and
a French version in that of Berne. A MS. in Cambridge Univ. Library, which
contains among other things a copy of Pipino's Polo, has also the work of
Friar William: - "Willelmus Tripolitanus, Aconensis Conventus, de Egressu
Machometi et Saracenorum, atque progressu eorumdem, de Statu
Saracenorum," etc. It is imperfect; it is addressed THEOBALDO
Ecclesiarcho digno Sancte Terre Peregrino Sancto. And from a cursory
inspection I imagine that the Tract appended to one of the Polo MSS.
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