The coming of the Duke of Burgundy and other magnates, accompanied by a vast multitude of crusaders (greater, we believe, than has ever before been gathered together amongst Christian people) produced such fear amongst the hypocrites that – almost miraculously – they fled before their pursuers.

This was especially so after the fall and ruin of Beziers. Clear warnings had been conveyed to the citizens of that city, through ourselves and their own Bishop, and we had threatened them with excommunication if they failed either to hand over the heretics in the city with their possessions or, if they were unable to do this, to leave their company; otherwise their blood would be on their own hands. But they did not heed our warnings and orders but instead joined with the heretics under oath to mount a defence of the city against the crusaders.

As the army approached the city the lords of some neighbouring castra, uneasy in their hearts, fled before the crusaders, but some knights and others of the faithful from these places came trustingly to the army and handed them to the crusaders, promising their loyalty and to pay homage. On the eve of the feast of the Blessed Mary Magdalene a notable castrum known as Servian was surrendered to us, along with numerous other castra of considerable importance which were subordinate to Servian.

The next day, the feast day of the Blessed Mary Magdalene (in whose church the citizens at an earlier time had treacherously murdered their lord), siege was laid to the city, early in the morning. The city seemed to be so well defended, by virtue of its location, its strength in men and an adequate supply of provisions, that its citizens believed it would be able to resist an army of whatever size for a long time.