LVIII. gravely afferted by fucceeding hiftorians; and CA P. The prudence or fortune of the Franks had Norman prince. Fulcherius Carnotenfis prefumes to fay, au- 10 See M. de Guignes (tom. ii. p. ii. p. 223, &c.); and the and The ftate of the CHA P. and restored in Palestine the civil and ecclefiaftical LVIII. authority of the Fatimites 102. They heard with aftonishment of the vaft armies of Chriftians that had paffed from Europe to Afia, and rejoiced in the fieges and battles which broke the power of the Turks, the adverfaries of their fect and monarchy. But the fame Chriftians were the enemies of the prophet; and from the overthrow of Nice and Antioch, the motive of their enterprise, which was gradually understood, would urge them forwards to the banks of the Jordan, or perhaps of the Nile. An intercourse of epiftles and embaflies, which rofe and fell with the events of war, was maintained between the throne of Cairo and the camp of the Latins; and their adverse pride was the refult of ignorance and enthufiafm. The minifters of Egypt declared in an haughty, or infinuated in a milder, tone, that their fovereign, the true and lawful commander of the faithful, had refcued Jerufalem from the Turkish yoke; and that the pilgrims, if they would divide their numbers, and lay aside their arms, should find a safe and hospitable reception at the fepulchre of Jefus. In the belief of their loft condition, the caliph Moftali despised their arms and imprisoned their deputies: the conquest and victory of Antioch prompted him to folicit those formidable champions with gifts of horses 102 The emir, or fultan Aphdal, recovered Jerufalem and Tyre, A. H. 489 (Renaudot, Hift. Patriarch. Alexandrin. p. 478. de Guignes, tom. i. p. 249. from Abulfeda and Ben Schounah). Jerufalem ante adventum veftrum recuperavimus, Turcos ejecimus, fay the Fatimite ambassadors. and LVIII: and filk robes, of vafes, and purfes of gold and CHAP. filver; and in his estimate of their merit or power, the first place was affigned to Bohemond, and the fecond to Godfrey. In either fortune the answer of the crufaders was firm and uniform: they difdained to enquire into the private claims or poffeffions of the followers of Mahomet: whatfoever was his name or nation, the ufurper of Jerufalem was their enemy; and instead of prescribing the mode and terms of their pilgrimage, it was only by a timely furrender of the city. and province, their facred right, that he could deserve their alliance, or deprecate their impending and irrefiftible attack 103. the 1098, A. D. Yet this attack, when they were within the Delay of view and reach of their glorious prize, was fuf- Franks, pended above ten months after the defeat of Ker- A. D. boga. The zeal and courage of the crufaders Julywere chilled in the moment of victory: and, in- 1099, ftead of marching to improve the confternation, May. they haftily difperfed to enjoy the luxury, of Syria. The causes of this ftrange delay may be found in the want of ftrength and fubordination. In the painful and various fervice of Antioch, the cavalry was annihilated; many thousands of every rank had been loft by famine, sickness, and desertion: the fame abuse of plenty had been productive of a third famine; and the alternative 103 See the tranfactions between the caliph of Egypt and the crusaders, in William of Tyre (l. iv. c. 24. 1. vi. c. 19.) and Albert Aquenfis (1. iii. c. 59.), who are more fenâble of their importance, than the contemporary writers. LVIII. CHAP. of intemperance and diftrefs, had generated a peftilence, which fwept away above fifty thoufand of the pilgrims. Few were able to command, and none were willing to obey the domestic feuds, which had been ftifled by common fear, were again renewed in acts, or at least in fentiments, of hoftility; the fortune of Baldwin and Bohemond excited the envy of their companions; the braveft knights were enlifted for the defence of their new principalities; and count Raymond exhausted his troops and treasures in an idle expedition into the heart of Syria. The winter was confumed in difcord and diforder; a sense of honour and religion was rekindled in the spring; and the private foldiers, lefs fufceptible of ambition and jealoufy, awakened with angry clamours the indolence of their chiefs. In the month of Jerufalem, May, the relics of this mighty hoft proceeded from Antioch to Laodicea; about forty thousand Latins, of whom no more than fifteen hundred horfe, and twenty thoufand foot, were capable of immediate fervice. Their eafy march was continued between mount Libanus and the fea-fhore; their wants were liberally fupplied by the coafting traders of Genoa and Pifa; and they drew large contributions from the emirs of Tripoli, Tyre, Sidon, Acre, and Cæfarea, who granted a free paffage, and promifed to follow the example of Jerufalem. From Cæfarea they advanced into the midland country; their clerks recognised the facred geography of Lydda, Ramla, Emaus, and Bethlem, and as foon as they defcried the 16 holy Their march to A. D. 1099, May 13 June 6. holy city, the crufaders forgot their toils and CHAP. claimed their reward 104. LVIII. Sicge and of Jeru conqueft falem, A. D. 1099 June 7 Jerufalem has derived fome reputation from the number and importance of her memorable fieges. It was not till after a long and obftinate contest that Babylon and Rome could prevail against the obstinacy of the people, the craggy July 15. ground that might fuperfede the neceffity of fortifications, and the walls and towers that would, have fortified the most acceffible plain 105. These obftacles were diminished in the age of the crufades. The bulwarks had been completely de-. ftroyed and imperfectly restored: the Jews, their nation and worship, were for ever banished; but nature is lefs changeable than man, and the fite of Jerufalem, though fomewhat foftened and fomewhat removed, was ftill ftrong against the affaults of an enemy. By the experience of a recent fiege, and a three years poffeffion, the Saracens of Egypt had been taught to difcern, and in fome degree to remedy, the defects of a place, which religion as well as honour forbade them to refign. Aladin or Iftikhar, the caliph's lieutenant, was entrusted with the defence: his policy ftrove to reftrain the native Chriftians by the dread of their own ruin and that of the holy 104 The greateft part of the march of the Franks is traced, and most accurately traced, in Maundrell's Journey from Aleppo to Jerufalem (p. 11-67.), un des meilleurs morceaux, fans contredit, qu'on ait dans ce genre (d`Anville, Memoire fur Jerusalem, P. 27.) 105 See the mafterly defcription of Tacitus (Hift. v. 11, 12, 13.), who supposes, that the Jewish lawgivers had provided for a perpetual state of hoftility against the rest of mankind. VOL. XI. G fepulchre ; |