volume one

S20 KDROET OF THE CBrSJLDBS.
£rom heaven, and his miraculous presence re-animated their
stzcngth and. their courage. At length the army of Baldwin,
after haTing undergone sSL sorts of misery, returned to
Jerusalem, where the inhabitants rejoiced at its arrival,
singing iheae words from the Scriptures,— " I/et u^ give
amrtelce^ wp to joy, for tliM peopJ-e thai u-a-s dead is resivscxtated;
it wa^ lost, and behold h^re it is fouiid againr
But whilst the inhabitants of Jerusalem were rejoicing at
tiie return of their warriors, the Christian states lost one
of tlieir most important places, and experienced an irreparable
misfortune. Zengui, whom the caliph of Bagdad
and all true Mussulmans considered as the buckler and the
support of Islamism, extended his empire from Mossoul to
Hie fiontiers of Damascus, and was continuing without
intermission the course of his victories and conquests. The
Christians made no effort to stop the progress of so redoubtable
a poww. Zengui, who united -vvith bravery all the
Feaomoes of a skilful policy, left them in a deceitftil security,
and determined only to awaken them from their long sleep
when he had it in his power to give a mortal blow to their
empire. He knew, by experience, that nothing was more
£ital to the Christians than too long a repose ; the Franks,
who owed ereiything to their arms, were almost always
weakened by peace, and when not fighting against the
Saracens, generally fell out among themselves.
The kingdom of Jerusalem had two formidable barriers,
tbe prindpaUty of Antioch and the county of Edessa.
Saymondof Poictiers defended the Orontes from the invasion
of the Saracens, and old Josselia de Courtenay had been for
a long time the tearrM* of the infidels on the banks of the
^Ei^hrates; but he was recently dead. He had fought to his
last breath, and even on his bed of death made his arms and
his bravet^' respected.
Josselin was besieging a castle near Aleppo, when a tower
fell down neso* him and covCTed him with its ruins. He was
txanspoorted in a dving state to Edessa, and as he lay langnishing
on his bed, expecting nothing but death, it was
announced to him that the sultan of Iconium had laid siege
to one of his strong places ; upon which he sent for his son
and commanded him to go instantly and attack the enemy.
Young Josaelin hesitated, and represented to his father that
I