volume one

292
UlSTOHY OF TUE CRUSADES.
of penitence. A crowd of men and women rushed to the
cburch of St. Peter of Antioch, confessed their sins to the
patriarch, and conjured him to appease the anger of Heaven.
The shocks, nevertheless, were rencAved during five months
the Christians abandoned the cities, and, a prev to terror,
"wandered among the mountains, which now were more
thicklv inhabited than the greatest cities. The few who
remained in cities constantly formed religious processions,
put on habits of mourning, and totallv renounced pleasures
of every kind. In the streets and the churches nothing was
heard but lamentations and prayers ; men swore to forgive
all injui'ies, and were profuse in their charities. At length
Heaven appeared to be appeased ; the earthquake ceased its
ravages, and tlie assembled Christians celebrated the mercy
of God by a solemn festival.
Scarcely were the Christians delivered from these alarms
than a new tempest threatened Syria and Palestine.* Maudoud,
nrince or governor of Mossoul, had been killed by two
Ismaelians, as he was comin": out of a mosque. As the
prince of !^^ossoul was consicfered the most firm support of
Islamism and the most redoubtable enemv of the Christians,
the caliph and the sultan of Bagdad placed him in the rank
of the mart^TS. and resolved to reven£:e his death. Thev
accused the Franks and tlie sultan of Damascus of the
miu'der of a Mussuhnan prince. A numerous army set out
from the banks of the Tigris, and advanced towards Svria,
to punish at the same time both the Christian and [Mussulman
infidels. The warriors of Bagdad, united with those of
Mossoul. penetrated as far as the lands of Aleppo, and
carried destruction and death wherever they went. In
this pressing danger the Saracens of Damascus and Mesopotamia
did not hesitate to form an alliance vdih the Christian
princes. The king of Jerusalem, the prince of Antioch,
and the count of Tripoli united their ti'oops with those of
the Mussulmans. The Christians were full of zeal and
ardour, and were eager for battle, but their new allies were
not willins^ to crive them the advantasre of a victorv, as thev
mistrusted the soldiers of Clirist, and used everv effort to
* We have avoided mentioning too frequently the sultans and emirs of
Syria, whose names seem the more barbarous as they are correctly
written.
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