132 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D . 1103. head covered with a red silk hood, and all his pons went to meet him bowing their heads four times to the earth, and. kissed bis feet; he then embraced and shook bands with them, and staved with each of his sons three days once a year : each of his sons wore a ring with his father's likeness carved on it. And whenever this said Saphadin rode out. he did not show his face, except ten times in the year ; and when he received messengers from any prince, he received them in his palace by means of bis armed attendants on the first day, on the second his answer was told them as occasion required, but he did not give them permission to approach him till the third day. His eight sons, according to their father's arrangement, live in the following manner : two of them have charge of the sepulchre of Christ, and to them are paid the offerings which are made at the sepulchre, which they divide between them; their income is more than twenty thousand Saracens; four other sons receive the duties arising from the Nile, and their incomes are worth more than forty thousand Saracens : the two other younger sons stand daily before Mahomet, and to them are paid the offerings which are made at the feet of' the prophet, which are worth more than thirty thousand Saracens. Saphadin has fifteen wives, and the same number of heirs; he is used to sleep with his wives each in turn, and when one of them is with child by him, he sleeps with her in the presence of all the rest ; and when any of those fifteen dies, he, according to the custom of their law, introduces another in her place. These people too bave a written law given to them by Mahomet, which is called the Alcoran, and the commands of that book are kept by that impious race of people as inviolably as we Christians observe the text of the gospel. How John, the king's brother, wished to obtain the government of England. Whilst king Richard, as has been related, was detained by the emperor, earl John, bis brother, hearing of his misfortune, and thinking he would not return, entered into a friendly alliance with I'hilip king of the Fremii, and bv that monarch's pernicious counsel, made arrangements to lie crowned in his brother's place, but the English with a laudable fidelity would not permit it.