322 E G 
of the throne, “ Such language (he added in private 
to his fon) was prudent and proper in an affembly of your 
rivals; but we are now above fear and obedience ; and 
the threats ot Noureddin fhall not extort a tribute from 
ns.” Noureddin’s death relieved them from the doubt¬ 
ful conflict; and his fon, a minor of eleven years of age, 
was left to the care of the emirs of Damafcus : mean 
while the new fultan of Egypt was decorated with every 
title that could fanctify his ufurpation in the eyes of the 
people. Nor was the afpiring Saladin long content with 
the poffeflion of Egypt; he defpoiled the Chriftians of 
Jerufalem, and the Atabeks of Damafcus, Aleppo, and 
Diarbekir: Mecca and Medina foon acknowledged him 
for their temporal protestor; his brother fubdued the 
diftant regions of Yemen, or Arabia Felix ; and, at the 
hour of his death, his empire was fpread from the Afri¬ 
can Tripoli to the Tigris, and from the Indian ocean to 
the mountains of Armenia. In the judgment of his cha¬ 
racter, the reproaches of treafon and ingratitude brike 
forcibly on our minds, impredfed,. as they are, with the 
principle and experience of law and loyalty. But his 
ambition may in fome meafure be excufed by the revolu¬ 
tions of Afia, which had erafed every notion of legiti¬ 
mate fucceffion; and by his humane and generous beha¬ 
viour to the collateral branches of the dethroned caliphs. 
In his virtues, and in thofe of his patron, they admired 
the Angular union of the hero and the faint; for both 
Noureddin and Saladin are ranked among the Mahome¬ 
tan faints; and the conbant meditation of die Holy War 
appears to-have Hied a fober colour over their lives and 
actions. The early youth of Saladin was addicted to 
wine and women ; but his ambitious fpirit foon renounced 
the temptations of pleafure, for the graver follies of fame 
and dominion : the garment of Saladin was of coarfe 
woollen ; and water was his only drink ; fo that, while 
he emulated the temperance, he furpaiTed the chabity, 
of his Arabian prophet; and thus held in fovereign con¬ 
tempt the gilded trappings, luxury, and voluptuoufnefs, 
of the degenerate caliphs. Both in faith and practice 
he was a rigid Muffulman ; he ever deplored that the de¬ 
fence of religion had not allowed him to accomplifh the 
pilgrimage of Mecca ; but, at the dated hours, five times 
each day, the fultan devoutly prayed with his brethren : 
the involuntary orniffion of fading was fcrupuloufly re¬ 
paid ; and his perufal of the Koran on horfehack between 
the approaching armies, may be quoted as a proof, how¬ 
ever odentatious, of piety and courage. Thejudiceof 
his divan was acceflible to the rneaned fuppliant in Egypt 
againd himlelf and his miniders; and it was only for a 
kingdom that Saladin would deviate from the rule of 
equity. While the defcendants of Seljuk and Z.enghi 
held his dirrup and fmoothed his garments, he was afta- 
ble and patient with the rneaned of his fervants. So 
boundlefs was his liberality, that Ire didributed twelve 
thoufand horfes at the fiege of Acre ; and, at the time of 
his death, no more than forty-feveu drams of liLver and one 
piece of gold coin were found in the treafury ; yet, in his 
reign, the tributes were diminifbed, and the wealthy ci¬ 
tizens enjoyed, without fear or danger, the fruits of their 
indudry. Egypt, Syria, and Arabia,, were adorned by 
the royal foundations of hofpitals, colleges, and mofques; 
and Cairo was fortified with a wall and citadel : all his 
works were confecrated to public ufe ; nor did the ful¬ 
tan indulge himfelf in a garden or palace of private lux¬ 
ury. In a fanatic age, himfelf a fanatic, the genuine vir¬ 
tues of Saladin commanded the edeem of the Chridians : 
the emperor of Germany gloried in his friendlhip ; the 
Greek emperor folicited his alliance; and the conqued 
of Jerufalem diffufed, and perhaps magnified, his fame 
both in the ead and wed. 
During its fhort exiftence, the kingdom of Jerufalem 
was fupported in the hands of the Franks, by the difcord 
of the Turks and Saracens. The common appellation of 
Franks , was fird applied by the Greeks and Arabians, to 
Ahe Chridians of the Latin church j and afterwards to all 
f P T. 
the nations of Europe,, who united in theTIoly War, or 
croifades; becaufe all of them profeffed the doctrine of 
the Latins. The powers of Egypt, Syria, and Arabia, 
were now united by an hero, whom the chance of war had 
armed againd the Franks. All without, now bore the 
mod threatening afpedtand all was feeble in the inter¬ 
nal date of Jerufalem* After the two fird Baldwins, the 
brother and coudn of Godfrey of Bouillon, the fceptre 
devolved by female fucceflion to Melifenda, daughter of 
the fecond Baldwin, and her lnilband Fulk, count of 
Anjou, the father, by a former marriage, of our Englifij 
Plantagenets; Their two Tons, Baldwin the Third, and 
Amaury, waged a drenuous war againd the infidels ; but 
the fon of Amaury, Baldwin the Fourth, was deprived, 
by the leprofy, of the faculties both of mind and body. 
His fider Sybilla, the mother of Baldwin the Fifth, was 
his natural heirefs : after the fufpicious death of her 
child, Ote crowned her fecond hufbund,Guy of Lufignan,. 
a prince of a handfome perfon, but of bafe character,,. 
Such were the guardians of the holy city of Jerufalem ; 
but its fate was delayed twelve years by fome fupplies- 
from Europe, by the valour of the military orders, and 
by the didant or domedic avocations of their great enemy. 
At length, on every fide,, the finking date was encircled 
and preded by an hodile line ; yet the truce was violated 
by the Franks, whofe exidence it protected. A foldier 
of fortune, Reginald of Chatillon, had fcized a fortrefs 
on the edge of the defert, from whence he pillaged the 
caravans and threatened the cities of Mecca and Medina.. 
Saladin rejoiced in the denial of judice ; and at the head 
of fourfcore thoufand horfe and foot invadedthe Holy 
Land. The choice of Tiberias for his fird fiege was fug- 
geded by the count of Tripoli, to whom it belonged ; 
and the king of Jerufalem was perfuaded to drain his gar- 
rifons, and to arm his people, for the relief of that im¬ 
portant place. By the advice of the perfidious Raymond, 
the Chridians were betrayed into a camp deditute of wa¬ 
ter; he fled on the fird onfet, with the curfes of both 
nations : Lufignan was overthrown, with the lofs of-thirty 
thoufand men; and the wood of the true crofs, the mod. 
valuable of the relics, was left in the power of the infi¬ 
dels. The royal captive was conduced to the tent of 
Saladin; and, as lie fainted with third and terror, the 
generous vidtor prei'ented him with a cup of fherbet 
cooled in ice, without differing his companion, Reginald 
of Chatillon, to partake of this pledge of hofpitalitv.. 
On the refufal of Reginald to turn Mahometan, Sala¬ 
din brack him on the head with his fcymetar, and he 
was difpatched by the guards. The trembling Lufig¬ 
nan was fent to Damafcus to an honourable and fpeedy 
ranforn ;. but the victory was bained by the execution 
of two hundred and thirty knights of the hoi'pital of 
St. John of Jerufalem, tire intrepid champions and mar¬ 
tyrs of their faith. The 'kingdom was left without a 
head ; and of the two grand maders of the-military orders, 
the one was fl.ain, and the other was a prifoner. From all 
the cities, both of the fea-coad and the inland country, 
the garrifons had been drawn away for this fatal field. 
Tyre and Tripoli alor.e could efcape the rapid inroad of 
Saladin ; and three months after the battle of Tiberias, 
he appeared in arms before the gates of Jerufalem. 
He might naturally expect, that the fiege of a city fo 
venerable, would rekindle the lad fparks of enthufiafm; 
and that, of lixty thoufand Chridians, every man would 
be a foldier, and every foldier a candidate for martyrdom. 
But queen Sybilla trembled for herfelf and her captive 
hatband. Some feeble efforts were made for the defence 
of Jerufalem; but iu the fpace of fourteen days, the 
victorious army drove back the Tallies of the befieged, 
planted their engines, applied their fcalingHadder.s, took 
the city, A. D. n8/, Oclober 2, and eredted on the Walls 
twelve banners of the prophet and the fultan. It was in 
vain that the qne.en, the women, and the monks, im¬ 
plored the mercy of the conqueror; to their fird fup¬ 
pliant deputation that mercy was fternly denied; “ He 
