ABEY. I.]

ST. JOHN OF JERUSALEM.

45

Islam champions, a Mameluke of Saladin’s, remark-able for his strength, ability, and audacity, waskilled, to the general grief. The first proposals byRichard were quite inadmissable. The battle ofArsouf was a 1 deep grief to the Moslems, and gloriousto the Christians, by the confession of the Mahome-tan eye-witness as well as themselves . 2 It was givenin an extensive plain. The Christians had now buta hundred thousand instead of thrice that number,as when leaving Acre; and two hundred thousandMoslems awaited them. As soon as Richard per-ceived the enemy, he drew up for battle in fivedivisions. The right wing the Templars, nextthose from the north of France, in the centre theEnglish and Normans with the standard, next themthe Hospitallers, and the left was composed of astrong body of archers. The first to enter theplain were the Templars, and then the differentcorps deployed in the order given. Count Henry,with a detached body of cavalry, observed themountains; and Coeur de Lion and Burgundy werefree to move about in all directions. The Chris-tian army was drawn up so close that an apple couldnot drop but on a horse or man. They had com-mands not to stir; but, strictly only standing on the

1 Michaud: Hist., ii. 401. 2 Arab. Chron., 329.

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