“[The king was told that the admirals had deliberated on making him sultan of Babylon] ... And he told me, that he would not have refused. And know that the scheme fell to the ground for no other reason than that they said the king was the stanchest Christian in the world; and it was mentioned in proof, that when they took their leave of him, he took up his cross and signed his whole body; and they said that whoever made him soldan, he would slay them all, or force them to turn Christians.”