when they had got all that was needful, they took leave
of the Pope, receiving his benediction; and the four set out together from
Acre, and went to Layas, accompanied always by Messer Nicolas's son Marco.

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. in
the British Museum (Addl. MSS., No. 19,952) is the same work or part of
it. To the same author is ascribed a tract called _Clades Damiatae_.
(_Duchesne_, V. 432; _D'Avezac_ in _Rec. de Voyages_, IV. 406; _Quetif,
Script. Ord. Praed._ I. 264-5; _Catal. of MSS. in Camb. Univ. Library_, I.
22.)

NOTE 2.--I presume that the powers, stated in this passage from Ramusio to
have been conferred on the Friars, are exaggerated. In letters of
authority granted in like cases by Pope Gregory's successors, Nicolas III.
(in 1278) and Boniface VIII. (in 1299), the missionary friars to remote
regions are empowered to absolve from excommunication and release from
vows, to settle matrimonial questions, to found churches and appoint
_idoneos rectores_, to authorise