volume one

368 nisTOET OF the ceusades.
selves full of ardour and courage, but ^YbeIl tbey were without
hope, some remained inactive, whilst others, no longer
regardiug the Christian glory as their own cause, sought
every means to. insure the failure of an enterprise from
which they should reap no personal advantage.
The leaders of the besieged took advantage of these feelings
to open negotiations with the Crusaders. Their threats,
their promises and presents, succeeded in destroying what
remained of the zeal and enthusiasm of the Christians.
They addressed themselves particularly to the barons of
Syria, and exhorted them to be on their guard against warriors
come, as they said, from the West, to take possession
of the Christian cities of Asia. They threatened to deliver
up Damascus to the new master of the East, Xoureddin,
whom nothing could resist, and who would soon take possession
of the kinofdom of Jerusalem. The barons of Svria,
whether deceived by these speeches, or that, in theu* hearts,
they dreaded the successes of the Franks who had come to
succour them, employed themselves only in retarding the
operarions of a siege they had. themselves prosecuted with
ardour ; and, abusing the confidence of the Crusaders,
they proposed a plan, which, being adopted too hghtly, completed
the ruin of all the hopes that had been bmlt on this
crusade.
In a council, the barons of S^Tia proposed to the leaders
to change the mode of attack ; the closeness of the gardens
and the river, said they, prevented the placing of the machines
of war in an advantas:eous manner : and the Christian
armv, in the position it occupied, might be surprised, and
ran the risk of beius: surrounded bv the enemv ^^ithout the
power of defending itself. It appeared to them, therefore,
much more certaui and safe to
and east sides.
assault the city on the south
Most of the chiefs possessed more valour than prudence,
and the confidence which victory inspired made them think
everything possible : besides, how could they mistrust the
Christians of the East, for whom they had taken up arms,
and who were then.' brothers ? In addition to this, the fear
of dragguig out the siege to a gi-eat length made them adopt
the advice of the barons of Syria. After having changed
their points of attack, the Christian army, instead of finding