Damas. — Damascus

2. Qui venaient à la rencontre de. — Who came to meet ; literally, to the meeting of.

3. Fondirent a l'improviste. — Rushed suddenly . Fondre, from the Latin fundere, meant primitively to spread ; hence its various meanings in their logical order: 1. to cause to spread; 2. to melt into (blend) ; 3. to melt down (dissolve); 4. to sink in, to give way, to fall; 5. to fall upon, to assail impetuously, to pounce upon. This last sensé is modem.

4. Les emmenèrent. — Took them off. Mener is to lead or conduct ; porter, to bear or carry. Amener (a mener) means to lead to, to bring, being the opposite of emmener {en mener), to lead from, to take away. A similar distinction exists between apporter (a porter) and emporter {en porter). In emmener, the first syllable is nasal (like an), by exception.

5. Où ils devaient entrer à Acre. — On which or when they were to enter Acre. Où, primitively an adverb of place, is also employed as an adverb of time. The idiomatic future formed by devoir before an infinitive is explained in the Grammar, p. 203.