Obiit ⊗ Iohannes de Balliolo, hic amator scolarium fecit propter
Deum perpe
tuam domum apud Oxoniam tribuens singulis ex illis scolaribus omni
eb
domada viii denarios ad communem eorum mensam. ¶Est ibi alia domus
scolarium melior illa qui percipiunt ad communam suam xii denarios per circu
¶lum septimane de dono episcopi Batensis1
Anno Domini moccolxxo dominus Eduuardus primogenitus filius regis An
glie
miles bello doctissimus proficiscitur ad terram sanctam, ueniens autem illuc
mo
ratus est in turri Acconensis ciuitatis nec posuit pedem extra illam
ci
uitatem ad aliquod arduum negotium faciendum nisi vna vice precedente eum vno
Christiano exploratore qui ▬▬▬▬ erat
de secta Sulianorum, qui sunt Christiani habitan
tes quasi heremite inter Sarracenos
& ideo pacem semper habent inter illos, quia in soli
tudinibus morantur,
venerantur enim omnes Sarraceni & pagani omnes heremi
tas propter honorem sancti
solitarii Iohannis Baptiste, quem ideo summa cum veneracione
diligunt &
honorant quia triumphauerunt in die solempnitatis eius in bello de
Christianis.
Dictus uero Sulianus uenit Acconiam nunciare Eduuardo quod habitato
res cuiusdam
urbis que uocatur caconia cum gregibus & armentis animalium iuxta
patrie ritum
ad pascendum ea iam exierant ad nemorosa loca ubi sibi fixerant
tabernacula multa,
semel enim in anno simul exeunt incole illius ciuitatis ad spati
andum sibi propter
aeris beneficium ad talia loca simul & omnes regrediuntur ad ciuitatem.
Tendente2 ergo Eduuard3 o uersus tabernacula
spaciancium4 que erant itinere trium dierum
ab Acconia de
die delituit in locis opacis siue nemorosis prout instructus fuerat
a Suliano
propter metum multitudinis paganorum qui cito potuerunt confundere pau
citatem
Christianorum qui cum illo erant, non enim habebat secum nisi paucos peregrinos cum
electioribus populi Acconiensis, de nocte igitur iens erat ut sic deluderentur
pa
gani dum ignorarent semitas transitus eius. Veniens igitur quodam summo mane ad
loca prenominata inuenit Sarracenos & uxores eorum cum paruulis suis in lecto,
quos
omnes ut hostes Christiane fidei occidit in ore gladii post quorum
interfectionem
tulit secum ad5 Acconiam
omnia armenta eorum & greges cum omni suppellectili illorum
nullum ex omnibus
hominibus secum existentibus amittens preter unum armigerum nomine Nicho
laum qui
erat armiger cuiusdam militis de Scocia oriundi cui nomen erat Alexander
de Setun,
ille autem armiger cum declinasset a comitatu Christianorum ad purgandum
aluum
scutum domini sui portans ad dorsum in equo mox captus est a paucis pa
John Balliol ⊗ died. This dear friend of
scholars, on account of his love towards God, built a permanent house at Oxford,
allowing to each of the scholars every week 8 pence for their common table. ¶There is
another house for scholars there, better than that one; they receive a payment of 12
pence every week for their com
¶mons, from the gift of the bishop of Bath.
In the 1270th year of the Lord, the lord Edward, the
first-born son of the king of England and a knight most skilled in warfare, set out for
the Holy Land. On his arrival there he stayed in the citadel of the city of Acre and did
not set foot outside that city to perform any arduous exploits, except for one occasion
when he was led by a Christian scout who belonged to the sect of the Sulians, who are
Christians that live as hermits among the Saracens; and there is always peace between
them because they dwell in the wilderness, for all the Saracens and heathens revere all
hermits on account of their honour for that holy solitary John the Baptist, whom they
esteem and honour with the highest reverence because they triumphed in battle against
the Christians on his solemn feast day. Now, this Sulian came to Acre to report to
Edward that the inhabitants of a town called Qaqun had at this time gone forth with
their flocks and herds of cattle, as is the custom of that country, to put them to
pasture. They had gone to wooded places, where they had pitched their many tents; for
once a year the inhabitants of that city go together to such places for recreation and
the benefits of the fresh air; and they all return to the city together. Edward
therefore headed towards the tents of the holiday-makers who were three days’ journey
away from Acre. By day he hid in shady or wooded places, as he had been instructed by
the Sulian, for fear of the multitude of the heathen who could quickly overcome the
small number of Christians who were with him; for he had with him only a few
pilgrim-crusaders along with some choicer people from Acre. He was travelling by night,
therefore, so that the heathen would be deceived as long as they did not know the course
of his route. Arriving at the aforementioned place very early one morning, he discovered
the Saracens and their wives in bed with their little ones; and he killed them by the
edge of the sword as1
enemies of the Christian faith. And after killing them, he took with him to Acre all
their herds and flocks, along with all their goods. And out of all the men who were with
him, he lost none except one esquire named Nicholas, who was the esquire of a knight who
came from Scotland whose name was Alexander of Seton. This esquire, on his horse, had
turned aside from the main body of the Christians to evacuate his bowels, carrying with
him on his back the shield belonging to his lord. He was immediately seized by a few
heathen who were living next to the road along which the Christians had just passed
completely unnoticed by