the prophet had mounted to heaven. Then Cœur de Lion made a proposition which called forth, to his extreme astonishment—for the strong-armed king'had but little insight into the intricacies of theology—such vehement opposition, that he was forced to abandon it. It was nothing less than to marry his sister Jane, widow of William of Sicily, to El Melik el "Adii, Saladin's brother. Both were to govern Jerusalem together. El Melik el "Adii, who was on terms of personal friendship with Bichard, was perfectly wiïling to arrange the marriage ; but it was impossible to meet the objections of imams as well as bishops, and the negotiations were broken off, Bichard proving thereupon his zeal for the faith by murdering his captives. He then gave orders to march, declaring that he was going to deliver Jerusalem. They started, but on the way he changed his resolution, and determined to rebuild Ascalon, to the chagrin and even despair of the common soldiers. And then the chiefs quarrelled. Peace was reestablished. Guy de Lusignan was made king of Cyprus, and Bichard gave the crown of Jerusalem to Conrad of Tyre. But the latter was murdered by two emissaries of the sheikh of the Assassins, "the old man of the mountains."* Henry of Champagne then married his widow Isabelle, and received the title of king. The next winter passed, and in the spring Bichard, who had spent his time in small skirmishes, whence he usually returned with half-a-dozen heads at' his saddle bow, declared his intention of returning to Europe. He was persuaded to remain, and once more led the army in the direction of Jerusalem. But he stopped some twenty miles from the city. And the army, like the people of Israel, murmured against him. There must, it seems to us, have been some secret reason why he never marched upon Jerusalem. Could it have been some superstitious one? Joachim, the hermit of Calabria, had prophesied * See p. 410. 2 Β