imperial residence, attended by a great concourse of the populace. Al Mostadi appeared on the balcony, and, addressing the multitude, said, "You witness the audacity of Kimar, who has even the temerity to brave me in my palace. As a punishment for his offence, I give you all his treasures." The crowd, hearing that plunder was permitted them, turned eagerly towards Kimar's house, followed by the soldiery, who hastened to defend it. By this expedition, the insurrection was quelled, and the life of the visir saved. Al Mostadi was thirty years old at his death, and had reigned ten.

CHAPTER VIII.

Empire of the Arabs, under the House of Al Abbas, continued.

AL Mostadi's death was no sooner pub

A. D.

licly known, than the grandees and 1180. principal citizens of Bagdad were prevailed on to take the oath of allegiance to Al Naser, his son. That prince was inaugurated in state, and universally acknowledged caliph. He then sent the patent of investiture, and other ensigns of royalty, to Saladin, constituting him, by those presents, the prime minister. The defeat he had received from the Franks in 573, together with the plague and famine that raged the following year, had prevented him from undertaking any enterprise: but in the year 578 he set out from Al Kahidah for Damascus. Upon his arrival, he was informed, that the Saheb of Al Mawsel had sent an embassy to the Franks, in order to solicit their assistance, and instigate them to a rupture with him. He therefore came to a resolution to chastise that prince for his infraction of the late treaty, and even to make himself master, if possible, of his capital; that the Mussulmen, being united under one chief, might be thereby enabled to act more vigorously against the Franks. The Saheb of Aleppo, having received intelligence of the Sultan's design, and of his great military preparations, dispatched an express to Al Mawsel, to apprise his brother of the storm that was ga.

thering, and to advise him to put himself into a posture of defence without delay. In the mean time, Saladin, with a numerous army, presented himself before Aleppo, and invested that city. He was, however, after several days spent ineffectually in endeavouring to carry the place, forced to abandon it. Soon after, the city of Ahmed, in Mesopotamia, surrendered to him, after a siege of eight days. He then advanced to Jordan, passed that river, laid Beizan in ashes, drove the Franks out of the field, and formed the siege of Al Carac; but, the place being defended by a numerous garrison, he found himself obliged to abandon the siege, and return to Damascus. He had not been long in that capital, when he commanded his son, Al Thaher, to leave Aleppo, and repair immediately to Damascus. Before the close of this year, embassies came to Saladin from all parts of the world, particularly from Sanjar Shah, the Saheb of Al Jazira, and the prince of Arbel, who desired to be admitted into the number of his confederates and friends; which favour having obtained, they returned to their respective courts.

In a short time after, Saladin assembled both the Syrian and Egyptian forces, in order once more to attempt the reduction of Al Carac. He soon began to batter it with military engines, and attacked it with the utmost vigour. The Franks, receiving advice that the Mussulmen had opened the campaign with the siege of AI Carac, marched to Al Walih, a place not far from that fortress, and there encamped. As Al Carac, in a great measure, cut off the communication between Syria and Egypt, Saladin was determined, at all events, if possible, to carry its

he therefore made the necessary dispositions for an engagement, being resolved, if an opportunity offered, to give them battle; which, however, finding impracticable, he penetrated into Palestine, took several towns, ravaged the neighbouring track, put many of the inhabitants to the sword, and carried a vast number of them into captivity. He also possessed himself of Janin, a little town near the banks of the Jordan, and penetrated to Sebaste, where John the Baptist's body is supposed to have been deposited. Here he released some Mohammedan prisoners, who had been thrown into irons by the Franks, and then returned to Damascus.

The 583d year of the Hegira proved extremely unfortunate, and even almost fatal to the Franks. Saladin advanced, at the head of a body of troops, to Al Carac, in order to block up that place, and protect the caravan of pilgrims going to Mecca. He also sent a large detachment to ravage the district of Acca, and all the adjacent track. The Franks, receiving intelligence of what had happened, and being determined to give Saladin battle, immediately quitted their camp, and advanced towards the Sultan, who, having left a body of troops to keep the citadel blocked up, led his men with the same ardour to meet them half way. Both armies facing each other, a most bloody conflict ensued; but the night preventing victory from declaring on either side, the fight was renewed next morning with greater fury than before: nor could the most vigorous efforts of both armies decide the dispute in less than three days; at the end of which the Mohammedans, animated by despair, and hemmed in on every side

by the enemy, and the Jordan, entirely defeated the Franks, and gained a most glorious victory.. The saheb of Tripoli, who had been prevailed upon to join the Franks, in open violation of the solemn treaty of alliance he had concluded with the sultan, charged the Mussulmen in front, but was so warmly received, that he soon fled with precipitation; and,. being eagerly pursued by a detachment of the Mohammedan forces, all the people that attended him were cut off to a man, and he alone escaped to Tripoli, where he was afterwards seized with a pleurisy, and died. A prodigious number of the Franks were killed in the action and the pursuit. A body of them, however, found means to retire to the top of a neighbouring hill; but, being surrounded by a detachment of the sultan's troops, who set fire to a wood into which they had fled for shelter, and almost dead with thirst, were obliged to surrender at discretion. Some were barba-.. rously butchered by the Mussulmen, and others, thrown into irons; among whom was the king of Jerusalem. With such terror were the Franks struck on this occasion, that one of Saladin's men took thirty of them prisoners, having tied them together with the cord of his tent. After the action, Saladin seated himself in a magnificent tent, erected for that purpose, and placed the king of Jerusalem at his right hand, and Arnold, the saheb of Al Carac, on his left. He then drank to the former of these princes, at that time ready to expire with thirst, and offered him a cup of snow-water, which he thankfully received, and immediately drank to the latter. But here the sultan interrupted him with some warmth, saying, "I will not suffer this rogue