125 

 THE BATTLE OF ARSOUF. 



EXTRACTED, BY PERMISSION, FROM A LECTURE ON 

 THE CRUSADES, DELIVERED IN THE ATHENAEUM 

 OF THE PLYMOUTH INSTITUTION, BY COLONEL 

 CHARLES HAMILTON SMITH. 



ON quitting the Crocodile or Salt river, the army still 

 inarching Southward had to penetrate through a forest 

 before it could reach Arsouf or Arsur. Happily the 

 enemy did not set it on fire as was at first apprehended. 

 After halting to refresh at the torrent of the Carved 

 rock, the columns again came upon the plain aud closed 

 their order, for now the enemy was found to be all 

 round them and evinced a decided disposition to bring 

 on a battle. Ten thousand of the hostile van, supported 

 by a mass of twenty thousand more, led on by Afda.1, 

 displayed their blue pencils and pressed upon them 

 but were still kept at bay by the crossbows and English 

 archers ; but soon such a flood of Saracens poured 

 round the Crusaders that it was impossible to fly : no- 

 thing but enemies and the sky could be seen : Allah, 

 Allah, rang in hideous bellowings like a roaring 

 thunder storm ajl around the army; a thousand 

 trumpets and kettle drums at once sounded the onset ; 

 the air rung with the hurtling of flying missiles, sent 

 forth from the hands of three hundred thousand Infi- 

 dels, who in the words of Emad-Eddin, closed around 

 the Christians like the eye-lids surrounding the eyes. * 

 The Templars led the van, but Richard had thought it 

 necessary to reinforce the Flemings who covered the rear 

 with the whole of the Hospitalers ; and to issue peremp- 

 tory orders for pressing the march without facing about 

 against the enemy. It was three o'clock after mid-day, 

 the heat intense and the dust oppressive. Saladin ac- 

 companied by only one page animated his cavalry, and 



_ 



* The first corps was distinguished by banners of gold and blue, 

 the second had pennons of green and brown, the third with pencils 

 all white. The first 60,000, and the second 55,000 men strong. 



Metrical Romance of Richard. 



