['3] 



Saracen foe, but never reached Palestine, the boys having 

 been sold as slaves, and the girls drafted into Turkish 

 harems. When, at last, Acre surrendered to the Crusa- 

 ders under Richard Cceur de Lion, the leniency displayed 

 by the Khalif Omar in his capture of Jerusalem in 637 

 was repaid by 2,700 Saracen hostages being brutally be- 

 headed outside the city walls for the sport of the Chris- 

 tian soldiers. All this time Europe was in a constant 

 state of agitation and alarm, which was further intensified 

 by the revival in- 1180 of the doctrines of John Erigena 

 by the Saracen philosopher Averroes, who boldly preached 

 them in Spain, making converts in all directions, among 

 whom was the great Jewish writer, Maimonides, who had 

 been held by the Jews in the highest esteem, and con- 

 sidered second only in wisdom to Moses. 



Under the tolerant and liberal rule of the Saracens 

 Averroism made great progress in Spain, where Moham- 

 medans, Christians, and Jews were permitted to live 

 peaceably together, and where philosophical theories were 

 openly and fearlessly taught ; but a day of reckoning was 

 at hand. On the death of the Caliph Hakem, Almansor 

 usurped the throne, and, in order to secure his position, 

 entered into a secret treaty with the orthodox section of 

 the Mohammedans, thus establishing a Church and State 

 party of enormous power, which culminated in the ex- 

 pulsion of Averroes from Spain and the suppression of 

 the study of philosophy. Thus were crushed again phi- 

 losophy and progress in 1198. The Christians of Italy, 

 Germany, and France followed suit, ordering all Aver- 

 roists to be seized and punished, and shortly afterwards 

 extending the order also to Jews and Mohammedans. 

 From the accession of Almansor dates the downfall of 

 the Mohammedan power in Spain and the commence- 

 ment of the fearful persecutions of Infidels by the Chris- 

 tian Church, which has left such a dark blot upon the 

 pages of European history. 



The Saracen power in Europe was annihilated by 

 Ferdinand and Isabella, and the Inquisition established 

 by Pope Innocent IV. in 1243. For two hundred years 

 it seemed as though philosophy and progress were indeed 

 dead, so relentlessly did the Church persecute all heretics 

 and denounce all scientific studies. But an occurrence 



