vere in the Holy War until we have driven them all from the coast, or we ourselves die in the attempt." Saladin held a council of his emirs and laid before them the propositions of King and Marquess. According to the Cadi, the King had again reverted to the idea of the marriage, in spite of the opposition of his nobles and the fair lady herself. As she was a widow he would have to secure the consent of the Pope, which might take six months. And if the Pope proved obdurate there was his brother's daughter, who was just as eligible as Joan, and here there would be no difficulty, for she was a virgin, and therefore entirely under his control. The Sultan favored an arrangement with the Marquess, principally because that would divide the forces of the Franks, and get them to fighting each other. His emirs, however, thought it better to deal with the King, asserting that no reliance could be placed upon the promises of the Marquess or his allies among the Syrian Franks. They insisted, however, that the marriage should be with Joan. Curiously, no mention is made of this talk of marriage by the Christian chroniclers, while others beside the Cadi of the Moslem writers refer to it as the subject of protracted negotiations. All this time hostilities went on as actively as ever, and if Richard was pleased to visit his " dear brother," he could not have taken so much pleasure in knowing that the Lord of Sidon was now also a frequent guest in the same camp. In fact, the astute ambassador of the Marquess was often in the company of el-Adel and