ganis habitantibus iuxta iter per quod Christiani iam transierant ⊗ minime
visi a paganis quos occidissent Christiani si illos
vidissent, armigerum autem
illum quem secum abduxerunt pagani ab illo die non
viderunt Christiani. Gloriosus uero
miles dominus Eduuardus magnam sue milicie
probitatem in diebus illis fecisset super
paganos, erat enim tunc temporis quasi
flos tocius mundi in strenuitate1 rei mi
litaris si
habuisset succursum Christianorum quos subtraxerat ei rex Cicilie proditor
Christia
nismi Karolus nomine frater regis Francorum Lodowici, per hunc enim
subtrahebantur Edu
uardo auxilia diuersarum nacionum silicet Cicilie Appulie
Calabrie & Ytalie propter auariciam
Karoli qui acceperat a paganis thesaurum
nimis magnum ante quam uenerat Eduuardus
ut expugnaret eos. Racio autem thesauri
accepti erat ut inducie quas petebant
Sarraceni ut se premunirent2 contra Christianos
concederentur eis a Karolo, petierunt ergo spa
cium xv annorum ad talem
premunicionem faciendam quod libenter concessit eis Karolus
caucione securitatis
data eis ab ipso qualem uoluerunt \per/ litteras eius cum
iureiurando
Reuersus est igitur Karolus proditor secuto eum thesauro a gente
perfida male accepto
in naui fortissima reposito, que cum ad portum tutissimum
applicuisset iuxta quamdam
ciu\i/tatem Christianorum
ulcione dei super illam propter thesaurum infideliter acceptum descendente
in ipso
portu subito deiscebat // nichil de peccunia perdicionis saluato, nutu propicie
diuinitatis euadentibus ex illa omnibus hominibus quotquot
erant in ea & ad tunc salua
tis omnino, periit itaque nauis, viderit Karolus ne
pereat eternaliter ipse extra na
uem ecclesie inuentus, nauis ecclesie est unitas
ecclesie a qua unitate Karolus uidebatur
omnino recessisse quando maluit peccuniam
contra Christum quam bellum propter Christum contra inimicos
Christi. Postea
reuersus est uerus Christi thesaurus dominus Eduuardus de Terra Sancta preter
missa
gencium expugnacione quam non poterat facere pre Christianorum paucitate, proposu
it
tamen nuncquam reuerti ad propria donec confudisset partes paganitatis in quantam po
tuisset si succursum Christianitatis ad uotum
fuisset adeptus, sed audita morte
patris sui optimi Henrici regis qui semper
pacifice & tranquille regimina
regionis gubernarat Anglicane, donec male
suasus erat enim bestialis homo
sed religiosus a consiliaribus infelicibus quorum
primatum tenuit uxor sua regina
Helionora \non/ nulla bella
paciebatur comitti contra barones regni sui de necessita
te oportuit eum redire ad
propria ut coronaretur successurus patri in regnum ut
heres legittimus. Obiit Adam
de Kilconcath comes de Karryc in
Acconia cuius uxorem comitissam de Karryc postea
iunior Robertus de Bruys
¶accepit sibi in sponsam.
the heathen, whom the Christians would have
killed if they had come across them ⊗; but since that day the Christians have
not seen that esquire whom the heathen carried off with them. Now, this glorious
soldier, the lord Edward, could have provided plentiful proof of his military prowess
over the heathen in those days, for at that time he was as the flower of the whole world
in the valour of his military exploits; that is, if he had been given the support of the
Christians; but the king of Sicily, named Charles, a traitor to the Christian people,
and the brother of King Louis of the French, had withdrawn them from him. The assistance
of several nations was taken away from Edward by this man, namely, that of Sicily,
Apulia, Calabria, and Italy, on account of Charles’s avarice; for he had obtained
extraordinarily great treasure from the heathen before Edward had arrived to expel them.
This treasure had been accepted on the understanding that the truce which the Saracens
were asking for, so that they could fortify themselves against the Christians, would be
granted to them by Charles. They therefore asked for a period of 15 years for the
construction of such fortification, and Charles freely granted it to them with a pledge
of security which he gave them himself, as they wished, \by/ his
letters and the swearing of oaths. So Charles the traitor returned, followed by the
treasure he had wickedly obtained from that treacherous people stowed in a strong ship.
When the ship had been brought to a safe harbour near a Christian city, God’s vengeance
came down upon it because of the perfidiously obtained treasure, and right in the
harbour it was suddenly smashed //.
None of the accursed money was salvaged. Yet, by God’s merciful will, every man, as many
as were in the ship, escaped from it, and all were saved at that time. And so the ship
was lost. Charles should take care in case, being found outside the ship of the Church,
he himself be eternally lost. For the ship of the Church is the unity of the Church; and
Charles seems entirely to have departed from that unity when he preferred money against
Christ rather than war for Christ against Christ’s enemies. Afterwards that true
treasure of Christ, the lord Edward, returned from the Holy Land; he had given up the
war against the heathen which he was no longer able to carry on because of the lack of
Christians. He resolved, however, that he would never return to his own country until he
had, in so far as he was able, put the heathen to shame, provided he could
obtain the help of Christendom. But he heard of the death of his father, the most worthy
King Henry, who had always directed the government of England in peace and tranquillity
until he was badly advised (being a boorish man, though religious) by unsuitable
counsellors, among whom his own wife, Queen Eleanor, held the first place; for he
allowed several wars to be waged against the barons of his kingdom. Edward was then of
necessity required to return home to be crowned, being entitled to succeed his father in
the kingdom as the lawful heir. Adam of Kilconquhar, earl of Carrick, died at
Acre; whose wife, the countess of Carrick, Robert Bruce the younger afterwards
¶made his own bride.