Coment li cuens Phelippes de Flandres se contint mauvesement en la terre doutre mer.

 Li quarz anz du reigne Baudoin estoit entrez entor le comencement daoust; li cuens Phelippes de Flandres que len avoit longuement atendu arriva au port de la cite. Li Rois qui sestoit fet aporter descalone en Jherusalem en une litiere ot mout grant joie de sa venue quant il loi dire. Si envoia de ses barons contre lui et des prelaz por lui ennorer mout et conduire en Jherusalem ou li Rois gisoit encore malades. Quant il fu venuz li Rois manda le Patriarche ses barons les Prelaz et les .ii. mestres du Temple et de lospital. Par le conseil de touz li fist requerre et prier que il preist le roiaume de Jherusalem en sa garde et en sa deffense: tuit obeiroient a son comandement en pais et en guerre ... Li Cuens respondi a cele parole quil sen conseilleroit et quant il ot parle a ses genz il respondi que porce nestoit il pas venuz en la terre de Surie que il eust iluec baillie ne tel jostice come de governer le roiaume; aincois estoit venuz por servir Nostre Seigneur come pelerins en humilite ... En ceste maniere ne pooit len savoir que li cuens de Flandres pensoit jusque il meismes descovri une partie de son proposement; et dist que mout se merveilloit de ce que nus ne parloit a lui du mariage de sa cousine. Li baron qui ce oirent furent tuit esbahi de la grant malice quil pensoit ... Li Cuens estoit merveilles angoisseus de ce porchacier por treire a soi ce grant heritage en son pais. Quant li baron que li Rois avoit envoiez a lui entendirent ce quil en pensoit si respondirent que de ce covendroit parler au Roi et il len sauroient lendemain a respondre ce que le Roi en plairoit. Au matin retornerent a lui et li distrent par conseil quil nestoit mie costume en la terre que nule dame veve se mariast dedenz lan que ele eut perdu son seigneur et celle apeloit len le tens de pleur.

 When the fourth year of Baldwin[IV, the leper]'s reign was beginning, count Philip of Flanders, so long awaited, arrived at the seaport. The king, who had himself carried from Ascalon to Jerusalem in a litter, was very much pleased when told of his arrival. He sent some of his barons and priests to honour and escort him to Jerusalem, where the king was lying sick. When Philip came, the king summoned the Patriarch, his barons, the priests, and the masters both of  the Templeand of the Hospital. By their unanimous advice, he asked and begged Philip to take under his guard and protection the Kingdom of Jerusalem: everyone would obey his command in war and in peace ... The count said that he would take counsel, and, after speaking with his followers, replied that he had not come to the land to receive it as a gift, neither did he find himself entitled to govern the realm; on the contrary, he had come to serve Our Lord as a humble pilgrim ... Thus, one could not guess what the count of Flanders had in mind, until the count himself disclosed part of his intentions; he said that he was very much surprised that nobody spoke to him about the marriage of his cousin [Baldwin's sister Sibilla, at that time newly widowed, pregnant, and the key to inheriting the throne of Jerusalem]. Hearing this, the barons were amazed at his malicious thinking ... The count was anxious to make (through marriage with his vassals) arrangements that would bring this large heritage to his country [by obtaining this honor for a Flemish family who would give him large tracts of land in Flanders]. When the barons ... understood what he intended, they declared that the matter had to be discussed with the king, and that, at the next day, they would be able to tell him about the king's deliberation. They returned in the morning with the response that it was not customary in the land to have a widow remarried in the same year that she had lost her lord, this being called the period of mourning.