63 LIX. Jerufalem, 1187, He might expect, that the ficge of a city, fo CHA P. venerable on earth and in heaven, fo interefting to Europe and Afia, would rekindle the last sparks and city of of enthusiasm; and that, of fixty thousand Chriftians, every man would be a foldier, and every october 2, foldier a candidate for martyrdom. But queen Sybilla trembled for herself and her captive hufband; and the barons and knights, who had efcaped from the fword and chains of the Turks, difplayed the fame factious and felfifh fpirit in the public ruin. The most numerous portion of the inhabitants were compofed of the Greek and Oriental Chriftians, whom experience had taught to prefer the Mahometan before the Latin yoke "3; and the holy fepulchre attracted a base and needy crowd, without arms or courage, who fubfifted only on the charity of the pilgrims. Some feeble and hafty efforts were made for the defence of Jerufalem; but in the fpace of fourteen days, a victorious army drove back the fallies of the befieged, planted their engines, opened the wall to the breadth of fifteen cubits, applied their scalingladders, and erected on the breach twelve banners of the prophet and the fultan. It was in vain that a bare-foot proceffion of the queen, the women, and the monks, implored the Son of God to fave his tomb and his inheritance from impious violation. Their fole hope was in the mercy of the conqueror, and to their firft fuppliant deputation that mercy was fternly denied. "He had fworn CHAP. "to avenge the patience and long-suffering of the ¡LIX. "Moflems; the hour of forgiveness was elapfed, " and the moment was now arrived to expiate in "blood, the innocent blood, which had been "fpilt by Godfrey and the first crufaders." But a defperate and fuccefsful ftruggle of the Franks admonished the fultan that his triumph was not yet fecure; he liftened with reverence to a folemn adjuration in the name of the common father of mankind; and a fentiment of human fympathy mollified the rigour of fanaticifm and conquest. He confented to accept the city, and to fpare the inhabitants. The Greek and Oriental Christians were permitted to live under his dominion; but it was ftipulated, that in forty days all the Franks and Latins fhould evacuate Jerufalem, and be fafely conducted to the fea-ports of Syria and. Egypt; that ten pieces of gold fhould be paid. for each man, five for each woman, and one for every child; and that those who were unable to purchase their freedom fhould be detained in perpetual flavery. Of fome writers it is a favourite and invidious theme to compare the humanity of Saladin with the maffacre of the firft crufade. The difference would be merely perfonal; but we should not forget that the Chriftians had offered to capitulate, and that the Mahometans of Jerufalem fuftained the laft extremities of an affault and storm. Juftice is indeed due to the fidelity with which the Turkish conqueror fulfilled the conditions of the treaty; and he may be defervedly praised for the glance of pity which he caft LIX. caft on the mifery of the vanquished. Instead of CHA P. a rigorous exaction of his debt, he accepted a fum of thirty thousand byzants, for the ranfom of feven thousand poor; two or three thousand more were dismissed by his gratuitous clemency; and the number of flaves was reduced to eleven or fourteen thousand perfons. In his interview with the queen, his words, and even his tears, fuggested the kindeft confolations; his liberal alms were distributed among those who had been made orphans or widows by the fortune of war; and while the knights of the hofpital were in arms against him, he allowed their more pious brethren to continue, during the term of a year, the care and fervice of the fick. In these acts of mercy the virtue of Saladin deferves our admiration and love he was above the neceflity of dif fimulation, and his ftern fanaticifm would have prompted him to diffemble, rather than to affect, this profane compaffion for the enemies of the Koran. After Jerufalem had been delivered from the presence of the ftrangers, the fultan made his triumphant entry, his banners waving in the wind and to the harmony of martial music. The great mosch of Omar, which had been converted into a church, was again confecrated to one God and his prophet Mahomet; the walls and pavement were purified with rose water; and a pulpit, the labour of Noureddin, was erected in the fanctuary. But when the golden cross that glittered on the dome was caft down, and dragged through the streets, the Chriftians of every fect uttered a lamentable groan, which was answered by the joyful LIX. CHAP. joyful fhouts of the Moflems. In four ivory chefts the patriarch had collected the croffes, the images, the vases, and the relics, of the holy place: they were feized by the conqueror, who was defirous of prefenting the caliph with the trophies of Chrif tian idolatry. He was perfuaded however to entrust them to the patriarch and prince of Antioch; and the pious pledge was redeemed by Richard of England, at the expence of fifty-two thoufand byzants of gold **. The third crufade, by fea, The nations might fear and hope the immediate and final expulfion of the Latins from SyA.D.1188. ria; which was yet delayed above a century after the death of Saladin "". In the career of victory, he was first checked by the refiftance of Tyre; the troops and garrifons, which had capitulated, were imprudently conducted to the fame port: their numbers were adequate to the defence of the place; and the arrival of Conrad of Montferrat infpired the diforderly crowd with confidence and union. His father, a venerable pilgrim, had been made prifoner in the battle of Tiberias; but that difafter was unknown in Italy and Greece, when the fon was urged by ambition and piety to visit the inheritance of his royal nephew, the infant Baldwin. The view of the 64 For the conqueft of Jerufalem, Bohadin (p. 67—75.) and Abulfeda (p. 40-43.) are our Moflem witneffes, Of the Chriftian, Bernard Thefaurarius (c. 151-167.) is the moft copious and authentic; fee likewife Matthew Paris (p. 120-124.). 65 The fieges of Tyre and Acre are moft copiously described by Bernard Thefaurarius (de Acquifitione Terræ San&tæ, c. 167— 179.), the author of the Hiftoria Hierofolymitana (p. 1150-1172. in Bongarfius), Abulfeda (p. 43-50.), and Bohadin (p. 75— 179.). Turkish 66 LIX. Turkish banners warned him from the hoftile CHAP. coaft of Jaffa; and Conrad was unanimoufly hailed as the prince and champion of Tyre, which was already befieged by the conqueror of Jerufafem. The firmness of his zeal, and perhaps his knowledge of a generous foe, enabled him to brave the threats of the fultan, and to declare, that should his aged parent be expofed before the walls, he himself would discharge the first arrow, and glory in his defcent from a Chriftian martyr "". The Egyptian fleet was allowed to enter the harbour of Tyre; but the chain was fuddenly drawn, and five gallies were either funk or taken: a thousand Turks were flain in a fally; and Saladin, after burning his engines, concluded a glorious campaign by a difgraceful retreat to Damafcus. He was foon affailed by a more formidable tempeft. The pathetic narratives, and even the pictures, that reprefented in lively colours the fervitude and profanation of Jerufalem, awakened the torpid fenfibility of Europe: the emperor, Frederic Barbaroffa, and the kings of France and England, affumed the crofs; and the tardy magnitude of their armaments was anticipated by the maritime ftates of the Mediterranean and the Ocean. The fkilful and provident Italians first embarked in the fhips of Genoa, Pifa, and Venice. They were fpeedily followed by the most eager pilgrims of France, Normandy, and the 66 I have followed a moderate and probable reprefentation of the fact by Vertot, who adopts without reluctance a romantic tale, the old marquis is actually expofed to the darts of the befieged. Weftern |