ABEY. I.]

ST. JOHN OH JERUSALEM.

23

bribe of sixty thousand besants from Saladin per-suaded a Frank prince to induce the poor Germansto join the crusaders, as if these acted from a spiritof envy in depriving them of the honour of sharingthe besiegers’ victory. Whereupon the imperialduke did come with his troops to Acre, and wasthe cause of most lamentable dissensions there . 1So Saladin’s march was a feint.

The Christians were not in numbers sufficient toenclose Acre, but only two thousand horse, and alarger multitude of foot; so left one of its gates free,of which Saladin profiting, introduced some troopsand provision, and then pitched his tents on thelittle hill of Kissan, directly opposite the principalstreet of the town, with his left leaning on theancient Belus or Rivulet of SweetWater, and his righton the hill Aiadia, so as to form a crescent behindthe Christians, who were between him and Acre,having their king’s tent on the hill Massallaba, orThuron, exactly facing the harbour . 2

Combats every day, the Moslem wheeling likebutterflies round a light. The soldan trying tomoderate their zeal, and economise all for a greatblow. He, also, was receiving reinforcementsalmost each day from Mesopotamia and the whole

1 Vinisauf.—Bib.Crois: ii. 678.

2 Arab. Chron., 245. Note.