Page:A History of the Knights of Malta, or the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.djvu/64

42 town, from the top of which a drawbridge could be lowered at will to span the intervening space. In the course of the night the Turks threw down a quantity of dry wood and other combustible matter, which they ignited with a view to the destruction of the tower. A strong east wind, however, set in, and the flames were blown away from the Templar’s tower and on to the wall of the town. This was so much calcined and destroyed by the action of the fire that in the morning it was easy to form a practicable breach. No time was lost. The Grand-Master at once directed a body of his knights to deliver an assault, which was attended with complete success. The assailants had no sooner made their appearance within the ramparts than the garrison, conceiving that all was lost, fled precipitately. Meanwhile the Templars advanced into the very heart of the town, and had they been at once supported its fall must have ensued. Unfortunately the grasping disposition of their Grand-Master ruined the enterprise. Instead of sending for immediate reinforcements he actually mounted the breach with the rest of his knights, and there kept guard, to prevent any other troops from entering the town, trusting by these means to secure the entire pillage of the place for the benefit of his Order. The result was what might have been foreseen. The garrison, not being followed up, soon recovered from their panic. Perceiving the slender strength of the enemy, who had penetrated within the city, they returned to the attack, drove the Templars back to the point at which they had effected their entrance, and thence through the breach with great slaughter. Having cleared the place, they at once proceeded to secure themselves from further assault, by retrenchments and barricades.

The anger of the king and his army at this conduct on the part of the Templars was unbounded. It was not the first time that they had shown a spirit of avarice and a greed for wealth most unsuited to the principles on which their Order was founded. That spirit was destined before long to draw down on them the antagonism, and eventually the vengeance of Europe.

The garrison of Ascalon was so elated at the success with which this formidable attack had been repelled that, strengthened as they were by the reinforcements which had arrived with