CHAP. IV.]

ST. JOHN ON JERUSALEM.

263

Christian one, chiefly Hospitallers. That same time,by a very inhuman and atrocious villany againsthis brother Mussnlmen, Noureddin possessed him-self of Damascus, to the vexation of the JudseaLatins, who were sorry to get so bad a neighbour . 1And good right they had ; for his first act was togain a victory over them near Paneas; and amongthe spoils of their camp, was a magnificent tent forhimself . 2 Damascus may balance Ascalon; so inthis respect, the parties were quits . 3 The follow-ing year was terrible for earthquakes throughoutthe whole of Syria, principally Antioch, Tripoli,Hamah. In the last town, all the boys of a schoolwere swallowed up the first shock, while the school-master was out; and on his return, not a parent orrelation came to inquire about one of them.Parents and children alike had shared the saddisaster . 4

Noureddin had a present from the caliph, of seventythousand pieces of gold, besides arms to the valueof thirty thousand . 5 It ended by the Christianshaving to ask pardon of the Caliph of Cairo, towhom, at the same time, the Emperor of Constan-tinople sent to beg him to order his fleet to go

1 Arab. Chron., 106. 2 Id., 109.

3 Michaud: Hist., ii. 219. 4 Arab. Chron., 107.

5 Id.: Id., 108.