volume one

UISTORY OF TILE CilUSADES. 31
their tragical adventures, aud the dangers of a pilgrimage to
the Holy Land.*
New perils and the most violent persecutions at this
period threatened both the pilgrims of the West and the
Christians of Palestine. Asia was about once again to change
masters, and tremble beneath a fresh tyranny. During
several centuries, the rich countries of the East had been
subject to contmual invasions from the wild hordes of Tartary.
As fast as the victorious tribes became effeminated
by luxury and prosperity, they were replaced by others
retaining all the barbarism of the deserts. The Turks,
issuing from countries situated beyond the Oxus, had
rendered themselves masters of Persia, where the imcalculating
policy of Mamouh had received and encouraged
their wandering tribes. The son of Mamouh fought a
battle with them, in which he performed prodigies of valour;
"but fortune," says Feristha, "had declared herself unpropitious
to his arms ; he looked around during the fight, and
except the body which he immediately commanded, his whole
army had devoured the paths of flight. '' Upon the very
theatre of their ^-ictory the Turks proceeded to the election
of a king. A large number of arrows were collected into a
bundle. Upon each of these arrows was inscribed the name
of a tribe, of a family, and of a warrior. A child di-ew three
of the arrows in the* presence of the whole army, and chance
assigned the throne to Togrul-Beg, grandson of Seldjouc.
Togrul-Beg, whose ambition equalled his coiu-age, embraced,
together vath his soldiers, the faith of Mahomet, and soon
joined to the title of conqueror that of protector of the
Mussulman religion.
The banks of the Tigris and the Euphrates were then
troubled by the revolt of the emirs, who shared the spoils of
the caliphs of Bagdad : the caliph Cayem implored^ the
assistance of Togrul, and promised the conquest of Asia to
the new master of Persia. Togrul, whom he had named his
temporal \'icar, marched at the head of an army, dispersed
the factious and the rebellious, ravaged the pro^dnces, and
* It would have been easy for me to have spoken of a great number of
other pilgrimages undertaken before the Crusades. An abridgment of
the most interesting accounts will be found in the Appendix at the end of
this volume.