ceived the crofs, with affurances, that he had authority from heaven to promise them victory. Their cavalry was compofed of one hundred and forty thousand knights, and their immediate attendants; and if even the light-armed troops, the women and children, the priests and monks, be excluded from the computation of their effective forces, their number will arife to four hundred thoufand fouls.

Manuel, the emperor of the Greeks, is accufed by his own fubjects of giving intelligence of the plans of the crufaders to the Turkish Sultan, and of providing them with treacherous guides. The conduct of the Chriftian leaders was dictated by no found policy, or vigorous co-operation. Instead of endeavouring to crush the common foe by a preconcerted attack at the fame time on different fides of his territories, Louis of France had fcarcely paffed the Bofphorus, when he was met by the returning Emperor, who had loft the greateft part of his army in a battle on the banks of the Meander. The king of France advanced through the fame country to a fimilar fate; and was glad to fhelter the relics of his army in the fea-port of Satalia. At Jerufalem thefe unfortunate monarchs met to lament their fad reverfes of fortune. The flender remnants of their armies were joined to the Christian powers of Syria; and a fruitlefs fiege of Damafcus was the final effort of the fecond crufade,

The

The Third Crufade A. D. 1190.

The great Saladin the Sultan of Egypt and Syria, encouraged by the inactivity or weaknefs of the Chriftian princes, reconquered the kingdom of Jerufalem, and after a fierce fiege of fourteen days took the holy city itfelf, and planted upon its walls the banner of Mahomet. He treated Sybilla the Queen, a defcendant of Count Baldwin and her confort Guy of Lufignan, his captives, with kindness, and allowed his Chriftian prifoners their liberty on condition of paying a moderate ransom. By the report of thefe difafters the zealous princes of Europe were again roufed to arms, and Frederic Barbaroffa Emperor of Germany, Richard Cour de Lion king of England, and Philip Auguftus king of France, refolved to retrieve the honour of the Chriftian arms. They were reinforced not only by the fleets of Genoa, Pifa, and Venice, but with the warriors of Flanders and Denmark, remarkable for their lofty ftature and the ufe of the battle axe. With Lufignan at their head they befieged the city of Acre, thirty miles to the fouth of Tyre, and about feventy from Jerufalem. The fiege, which continued for two years, was remarkable for nine battles fought by the united Moflems of Egypt, Syria, and Arabia, and the Chriftians in the neighbourhood of mount Carmel. The camp of the Chriftians was wafted by famine, and Saladin heard with joy that the emperor of Germany had

died in his march. The English fleet, affailed by a violent ftorm, was driven on the coaft of Cyprus. Ifaac Comnenus, the defpot of the place, pillaged the ftranded hips, and threw the failors into prifon but the gallant Richard took ample vengeance for this act of inhumanity: he attacked the plunderer who oppofed his landing, took him prifoner, and loaded him with chains; he entered Lemiffo his capital by ftorm, and conferred the command of the island upon Guy of Lufignan the expelled king of Jerufalem. At length however the fleets of Richard, and of Philip, caft anchor in the bay of Acre, and they had the joint honour of taking the place. A capitulation was granted on condition of a ranfom of 200,000 pieces of gold, the deliverance of 100 nobles, and 1500 inferior captives, and the reftoration of the wood of the genuine crofs of Chrift. The delay in the execution of the treaty enflamed the rage of the conquerors, and three thousand Turks are faid to have been beheaded, almoft in the view of the Sultan, by the orders of Richard.

Soon after the furrender of Acre, Philip quitted Palestine, and Richard Coeur de Lion had the chief command, and added the cities of Cæfarea and Jaffa to the kingdom of Lufignan. He led the main body of the Chriftian army at the battle of Afcalon againft Saladin and his numerous hoft. The two wings were broken in the beginning of the fight by the impetuous Sultan, but Richard renewed the attack with admirable intrepidity and

conduct,

conduct, and turned the fortune of the contest to a complete victory. He advanced within a day's march of Jerufalem, and intercepted a caravan of 7000 camels. Roufed by a report that Jaffa was furprised by Saladin, he failed for the place, and leaped firft upon the fhore. The Saracens and Turks fled before him in wild difmay. On the following morning they returned, and found him carelessly encamped with only 17 knights and 300 Archers regardless of their numbers, he sustained their charge, and grafping his lance rode along their front, without meeting a fingle adverfary who dared to oppofe his career.

In the courfe of this active campaign, some circumftances occurred to foften the rigour of hoftilities. Even prefents were exchanged by the courteous warriours, and fnow and fruit were given by Saladin and Norway hawks were exchanged for Arabian horfes. The health of both Saladin and Richard began to decline, and each wifhed to return to his own dominions. Richard especially was eager to depart for Europe, as the perfidious Philip, in violation of his folemn oath, had taken advantage of his abfence to invade Normandy, then a province of England. A treaty was concluded on condition, that Jerufalem and the Holy Sepulchre fhould be open without tribute or moleftation to the Latin Pilgrims; that the Chriftians fhould poffefs the fea coaft from Jaffa to Tyre; and that for three years and three months all hoftilities hould ceafe. The English monarch informed Sa

ladin, that he might depend upon his return to try his fortune once more in the holy land; the fultan, with a degree of courtefy, which would have done honour to the moft refined age, replied, that if it must be his misfortune to lofe that part of his dominions, he had rather lofe it to the king of England, than to any other monarch in the world. The death of Saladin not long after infpired the Chriftians with no fmall exultation, as he had obftructed the career of their conquefts more than any General who had ever been opposed to them. He was exemplary for his piety and his temperance. His drink was water only, and he wore a coarse woollen garment. Such was his cool intrepidity and religious zeal, that it was his cuftom to peruse the Koran on horfeback between approaching armies. During his laft illnefs, he ordered his fhroud to be carried through the city, while a crier went before the proceffion, and proclaimed with a loud voice, "This is all that remains to the mighty Saladin, the conqueror of the Eaft." Liberality was a diftinguishing feature in his character; he gave away twelve thousand horfes at the fiege of Acre; and at his death no more than forty-feven pieces of filver and one of gold were found in his treasury.

As Richard Coeur de Lion was on his return home, he was fhipwrecked near Aquileia. He travelled in the habit of a pilgrim, but the liberality of his expences betrayed him, and he was thrown into prifon by Leopold, Duke of Austria, whom he had

offended