midable opponent than any they had hitherto encountered in the On» m field, one who was again to cause the crescent to triumph over the.'„. u70.° A cross, and to plant the standard of tbe prophet upon the walls of the holy city. When the Fatimi te caliph had received intelligence of Amalric's invasion of Egypt, he sent the hair of his women, one of the greatest tokens of distress known in the East, to the pious Nonreddin, who immediately'despatched a body of troops to his assistance, headed by Sheerkoh, and bis nephew, Youseef-BenAcovb-Ben-Schqdi, the famous Saladin. Sheerkoh died immediately after his arrival, and Youseef succeeded to his command, and was appointed vizier of the caliph. Youseef had passed his youth in pleasure and debauchery, sloth and indolence: he had quitted with regret the delights of Damascus for the dusty plains of Egypt ; and but for the unjustifiable expedition of King Amalric and the Hospitallers against the infidels, the powerful talents and the latent energies of the young Courdish chieftain, which altogether changed the face of affairs in the East, would in all probability never have been developed. As soon as Saladin grasped the power of the sword, and obtained the command of armies, he threw off the follies of his youth, and led a new life. He renounced the pleasures of the world, and assumed the character of a saint. His dress was a coarse woollen garment ; water was his only drink ; and he carefully abstained from everything disapproved of by the Mussulman religion. Five times each day he prostrated himself in pnblic prayer, surrounded by his friends and followers, and his demeanour became grave, serious, and thoughtful. He fought vigorously with spiritual weapons against the temptations of the world ; his nights were often spent in watching and meditation, and he was always diligent in fasting and in the study of the Koran. With the same zeal he combated with carnal weapons