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THE HISTORY OF THE ORDER OF [book i.

manders-in-chief to any army at present in Europe.Their discipline must much have struck the Arabs,for I see they continually talk of their coming on“ like one many

In passing the narrow rugged defiles of the hillsof Judea where the smallest resistance from anenemy would have delayed them, it is easy tobelieve that they interpreted their meeting noneinto a proof that He was delivering the holy cityup into their hands; as, a little before too, He hadinformed them of their foe’s designs by a dove’sdropping into the midst of them, under whose wingwas tied a letter from one Moslem Emir to hisgeneral; and it was perfectly clear that the sweetAvhite bird had been sent direct from heaven, whenceelse could she have come? Nearer and nearer,with increase of impatience—and throbbing heartsevery one of them—.the venerated cupolas werenow very near, though as yet unseen. So Tancredwith a little vanguard was despatched round tooccupy Bethlehem; and as for the centre, it haltedfor the night at a village within six miles of whatthey soon next morning came in view of—Jeru-salem! Jerusalem! Jerusalem! flew from mouthto mouth and from rank to rank, and leaping fromtheir horses, and kissing the ground, it were diffi-cult to depict the fervour of that sublime moment.