for the religion of Christ was quenched, and the opportunity gone by. The significance of Odo's reply to Amaury lies in his promise to send the criminal to the pope. Just as the Templars, from the very beginning, were free from any episcopal jurisdiction, and owned no authority in ecclesiastical matters in other than the pope himself, so they now arrogated to themselves freedom in things temporal. They would have no king but their grand master, no bishop but the pope; they would have no interference in the government of their own castles and places from any sovereign at all. And this seems the main reason—their assumption of independence—why their destruction was determined on by King Philip of France. In the year 1173 * died Nur-ed-din, the greatest man of Saracen story, next to Saladin. Directly Amaury heard of his death, he laid siege to Banias—it will be remembered how Nûr-ed-din refused to take advantage of Baldwin's death—but raised the siege after a fortnight in consequence of entreaties and the offer of large sums of money from Nur-ed-din's widow. On his return he complained of indisposition. This became worse, and a violent dysentery set in. They carried him to Jerusalem, where he died, after all the doctors, Greek, Syrian, and Latin, had been called in successively. He was then in his thirty-eighth year. One feels pity for Amaury, more than for any other of the Kings of Jerusalem. He was, at the same time, so long-headed and so unlucky ; so capable, yet so unsuccessful ; so patient under all his disasters ; so active in spite of his corpulence ; so careful of the kingdom, yet so unpopular; so harassed with doubts, yet so loyal to his oaths ; and so hopeful in spite of all his disappointments, that one cannot help admiring and sympathising with him. He committed the * According to William of Tyre. Others place his death a year later.