volume one

HISTORY or TnE CRUSADES. 471
mity ; but there remained still two kings for an invaded, or
rather a nominal kingdom, and the two factions divided the
army. Some were touched by the misfortunes of Guy, and
declared themselves his partisans; whilst others, admiring
the bravery of Conrad, thought the kingdom shoidd fall
to him who was most capable of defending it. Guy was
reproached with having fostered the power of Saladin ; the
marquis of T3're, on the contrary, was praised for having
preserved the only two cities that remained in the power of
the Franks : he alone, they added, could fiu^nish the Christians
with provisions, and put an end to the famine which
was consuming them.
Not one of the Crusaders was ignorant of this quarrel.
Dissension spread from the leaders to the soldiers ; they
heaped abuse upon each other, and were even ready to cut
the throats of their comrades to determine who should
possess a broken sceptre and the vain title of king. The
bishops at length calmed the fury of these differences, and
persuaded therivals to refer the matter to the judgment of
Bichard and Philip.
These two princes, who had embarked at Genoa and Marseilles,
met at Messina. Sicily was then at war with Germany
for the succession of William II. Constance, the heir
of William, had married the Emperor Henry VI., and had
charged him with the duty of proclaiming her rights, and
defending her inheritance ; but Tancred, natural brother of
Constance, who had obtained the love of the nobility of
Sicily, had usurped the throne of his sister, and maintained
himself upon it, by force of arms, against the efforts of the
Germans.
This prince, not firmly settled on his throne, was much
alarmed at the approach of the Crusaders. He feared in
Pliilip an ally of the emperor of Germany, and in Eichard,
the brother of Queen Jane, the widow of William, whom he
had ill-treated, and still detained in prison. Being totally
unable to contend with tliem, he attempted to conciliate
them by his submission and attentions : he at first succeeded
with Philip beyond his expectations, but had much more
trouble in appeasing Kichard, who, immediately after his
arrival, haughtily demanded the liberty of Jane, and took
possession of the two forts which commanded Messina.