volume one

niSTOET OF THE CEUSADES. 815
added tliat the assassin of the count of Jaffa should not, as
was usual, have his tongue cut out, in order that he might
name his accomplices. The unhappy wretch expired, declaring
that no one had induced him to commit the deed,
but that he thought he should serve religion and his king
bj it. Every one was thus left free to form conjectures
according to the feeling that animated him, or the party he
had adopted. The count of Jaffa was not long in recovering
from his wound; at the end of a few months he quitted
Palestine, and went to Sicily, where he died before the time
fixed for the end of his exile.
Queen Melisende entertained a deep resentment at all
which had taken place ; by which she proved that she was not
a stranger to the origin of these fatal discords.
" From the
day on which the count left the kingdom," says "William of
Tyre, " all who had against him been informers to the king,
and brought him into his ill graces, so incurred the indignation
of the queen that they were not in too great safety
of their persons, and even the king did not seem to be quite
at his ease among the relations and favourites of the queen."
The anger of the queen, however, yielded to time, and did
not outlive the count of Jaffa. Foulque himself, whether it
was that age had blunted his feelings, or that it appeared
more prudent to him to efface the last traces of an unfortunate
affair, repented of having compromised the honour of
the queen, and neglected nothing that could make her
forget the excess of his jealousy and the rigours he had
employed.
Amidst these disagreeable events the king of Jerusalem
had reason to congratulate himself at having no invasion
of the Mussulmans to repel. The prince of Mossoul,
Zengui, attacked some Christian fortresses, but he was soon
diverted from his enterprises against the Franks by the pro-
ject of uniting the principality of Damascus to his states.
The Mussulman prince who reigned at Damascus could find
no other means of resisting Zengui than by calling in the
Christians to his help. The king of Jerusalem, after having
received hostages and considerable sums of money, took the
field at the head of his army, for the purpose of defending a
Mussulman city ; but Zengui, who feared to try his strength
with the Franks, did not venture to attack Damascus.
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