INTERVIEW BETWEEN JOINVILLE AND THE ADMIRAL OF THE GALLEYS THE SICK PUT TO DEATH JOINVILLE REJOINS THE OTHER PRISONERS AT MANSOURAH
The chief emir of the galleys sent for me and asked me if I were cousin to the king; and I said “No,” and told him how and why the mariner had said I was the king’s cousin. And he said I had acted wisely, for otherwise we should all have been put to death. And he asked me if I was in any manner of the lineage of the Emperor Frederic of Germany, who was then living. I replied that I thought my lady mother was the emperor’s cousin-german. And he said that he loved me the more for it.
Citizen of Paris
While we were at meat, he caused a citizen of Paris to be brought before us. When the citizen came in, he said to me: “ Lord, what are you doing? ” “ Why, what am I doing? ” said I. “ In God’s name,” said he, “ you are eating flesh on a Friday! ” When I heard that, I put my bowl behind me. And the emir asked my Saracen why I had done so, and he told him. And the emir replied that God would not take what I had done amiss, seeing I did it unwittingly. And you must know that this same reply was given to me by the Legate after we were out of prison; and yet, notwithstanding, I did not afterwards forbear to fast on bread and water, every Friday in Lent; wherefore the legate was very wroth with me, seeing that I was the only man of substance that had remained with the king.
On the Sunday after, the emir caused me, and all the other prisoners taken on the water, to be landed on the bank of the river. While they were taking my Lord John, my good priest, out of the hold of the galley, he fainted, and they killed him and threw him into the river. His clerk fainted also, by reason of the sickness of the host that was upon him, and they threw a mortar on his head, so that he died, and they threw him into the river.
While the other sick people were being disembarked from the galleys in which they had been kept prisoners, there were Saracens standing by, with naked swords, who killed those that fell, and cast them all into the river. I caused them to be told, through my Saracen, that it seemed to me his was not well done; for it was against the teachings of paladin, who said you ought never to kill a man after he taken of your bread and of your salt. And the emir, answered that the men in question were of no account, seeing hey were helpless because of the sickness they had upon hem.