302 THE HISTORY OF THE ORDER OF [book i.

at eight thousand gold pieces; her necklace, saddle,and bridle, studded with pearls, stirrups of solidgold, her caparisons of gold, &c., &c.' But not-withstanding his lofty station in Egypt, Noureddinin his letters never gives Saladin any other titlethan his old one of emir , 2 and having recalled himfrequently to Damascus, as if to do him honour,the wary adventurer always declined the invita-tion, excusing himself on divers pretexts, satisfiedwith besieging with more or less success Petra, orMontreale, or some other of the Christian fortressessouth of the Dead Sea, and then hastening back toEgypt on the approach of any Syrian Maho-metans . 3 Although, in his replies to Noureddin,we find him always sign himself his Mameluke orslave . 4 And this mutual distrust made Noureddinon his death-bed recommend: his only son to hisfriends, and that they should save his poor boy ; 5and the dying father was right in his fears, forSaladin, coming from Egypt, under covert of pro-tecting him from those emirs, removed his realfriendly protectors one by one, and at lengthexiled young Maleksalek to Aleppo, where, under

1 Aral). Chron., 138.

3 Id. 148.

5 Id. 140.

2 Id. 139.Id. 139.