A.D . 1188.] SAI.ADIN S ANSWER TO FltKIiEKIC. riolios and exterminate them. What ! have we not on our .side tlie warlike Soldarii, by whom we have opened and gained the land, and driven out our enemies ? These, and all the kings of Paganism will not be slow when we shall .summon them, nor delay when we shall call them. And whenever your armies shall he assembled, according to the import of your letter, and you shall lead them, as your messenger tells us, we will then meet you in the power of (iod. Nor will we be satisfied with the land which is on the sea-coast, but we will cross over with God's good pleasure, and will take from yon all your lands, in the strength of the Lord. For if you come, yon will come with all your forces, and will lie present with all your people, and we know that there will remain none, at home to defend themselves or tight for their country. And when the Ixird, by his power, shall have given us victory over you, nothing will remain tor 11to do but freely to take your lands, by Ilia power, and with His good pleasure. For the union of the Christian faith has twice come against us in Babylon ; once at Damietta, ami again at Alexandria: [it was also in the coast of the land of Jerusalem in the hand of the Christians, in the land of Damascus, and in the land of the Saracens; in each fortresthere was a lord who studied his own interests.] You know how the Christians each time returned, and to what an issue they came. But these our people are assembled together with their countries, and the Lord has associated with us countries in abundance, and united them far ami wide under our power. Babylon, with its dependencies, and the land of Damascus, and Jerusalem on the sea-coast, and the hind of Gesireh with its castles, and the land of Koasia with its dependencies, and the, land of India with its dependencies— by the grace of ( iod, all this is in our bands, and the residue of the Saracenic kings is in our empire. For if we were to command the illustrious kings of the Saracens, thev would not withdraw themselves from us. And if we were to admonish the caliph of Bagdad (whom (iod preserve) to come to our aid. be would rise from the throne of his great empire, and would come to help our excellence. We have obtained, also, by the virtue and power of God, Jerusalem and its territory; and of the three cities which still remain in the hands of the Christians, Tyre, Tripoli, and Antioeh, notimi" ' F 2