234 THE IITSTORY OE THE ORDER OE [book I.

be reprobated . 1 Battenians, Ismalians, or Assassins(for they are all one, the Old Man’s people—thoughhe was called Old Man, not from age, but dignity—shieckh, or elder, haying a double signification,lord, or vecchio). These villains were sometimes inleague with the Christians, who ought to beashamed of it. So the Moslem Governor of Da-mascus had all the Battenians that were in thattown (six thousand it is said) put to death, withthe aid of the citizens, who hated them; but theofficer who commanded in Paneas, being a secretBattenian, delivered up that fortress to the Chris-tians, among whom he went to live . 2 Nothing buttroubles and anarchy through all Palestine, Syria,Mesopotamia; Moslems and Christians sometimesallied, and suddenly at war. Zengui, perhapsrather just than sanguinary, was about ten at the

first crusade, when his father died. Except

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Aleppo, Damascus, Emessa, and Humah,there was now scarce a spot where a Mahometancould exist at peace. “ But God resolved to ful-minate the demons of the cross, and his searchingeye saw no one so proper for this Divine purposeas the jewel of religion, the blessed martyr Zengui,of the unshaken heart and firm will .” 3 So he was

1 Arab. Giron., 55. 2 Id.: 56.

3 Id.: 60.