CHAP. IV.]

ST. JOHN OF JERUSALEM.

251

the fall of Edessa, and that Islam began to advanceher horns in Mesopotamia, roused Europe to thesecond crusade, under Lewis VII. and Conrad,which ended so unfortunately; for most of theGermans died in Asia Minor, and if a remnant ofFrench got to Antioch, Queen Eleanor learned thevices of it, so that Louis VII. was obliged to getdivorced from her, as soon as he got back to Paris.Some pretended she saw the famous Saladin there,then a very young officer, and, if it depended onher, would have run away with him. Too young,perhaps, but it seems the queen was of a differenttaste. Certainly he was rather twenty or twenty-four, than ten; since, within a year later, he was thesecond in command, under his father, at Damascus . 1

Conrad and king met to weep at Jerusalem, andmade an attempt on Damascus, that ended ineffec-tually, and the European sovereigns returnedhome with slender retinue, and no armies, thoughthe imperial had left Europe with ninety-thousandhorse, and the royal with fifty thousand of the samearm; for, as to the infantry of both, they werebeyond counting . 2

The effect of the second crusade in beautifulFrance, was mournful, “ Our castles and villagesdeserted, widows and orphans are everywhere,

1 Michaud: Hist., ii. 177, 187. 2 Arab. Chron., 93.