volume one

HISTORY OF TUE CETJSADES. 495
coiild not write, and could have no interest in making the
apology of a Christian prince.* The king of England himself
strengthened the public suspicions by taking possession
of Tyre, and giving the widow of Conrad in marriage to his
nephew, the count of Champagne. However it may be,
this accusation, which was accredited among the Christians,
announced plainly the idea they entertained of the character
of Eichard. The account of the death of Conrad soon
reached Europe, and Philip Augustus, dreading the same
fate, no longer appeared in public without being surrounded
by a guard. The court of France accused Eichard of the
blackest attempts ; but it is probable that Philip, on this
occasion, showed more fear than he really felt, in order to
render his rival the more odious, and to arm against him the
hatred of the pope, and the indignation of all the princes of
Christendom.
After the death of Conrad, Eichard had no rivals to suspect,
or enemies to fight with among the Christians ; the
opinion even that was entertained of his character, only
served to augment his authority, by creating a dread of his
hatred or vengeance. He took advantage of a moment, in
which Saladin disbanded part of his army, to get possession
of the castle of Darcum, built upon the confines of Pales-
tine, towards Egypt. He undertook several other enter-
prises, which spread terror and surprise among the Saracens
; and, all at once, to satisfy the wishes of the Crusaders,
marched towards Jerusalem, in which city Saladin had shut
himself up with all the troops he could gather together. At
the approach of the Christians, the sidtan convoked his
emirs, and made them swear, on the stone of Jacob, to be
buried beneath the ruins of the city rather than yield it up
to the soldiers of Eichard.
The Christian army encamped at the foot of the mountains
of Judea, all the passes of which were guarded by the
troops of Saladin and the Saracen peasants of Naplouse and
Hebron. As Eichard di^ew near to Jerusalem, his aversion
* Our author's argument is very weak here. Gibbon says :— " I can-
not believe that a soldier so free and fearless in the use of his lance as
Richard, would have descended to whet a dagger against his valiant
brother Conrad de Montferrat. "—Z>edme and Fall, vol. viii. p. 426.—
Trans.