and
not only gave his two wings leisure to recover from their confusion, but
obtained a complete victory over the Saracens, of whom forty thousand
are said to have perished in the field.[*] Ascalon soon after fell into
the hands of the Christians: other sieges were carried on with equal
success; Richard was even able to advance within sight of Jerusalem, the
object of his enterprise; when he had the mortification to find that he
must abandon all hopes of immediate success, and must put a stop to his
career of victory. The crusaders, animated with an enthusiastic ardor
for the holy wars, broke at first through all regards to safety or
interest in the prosecution of their purpose; and trusting to the
immediate assistance of Heaven, set nothing before their eyes but fame
and victory in this world, and a crown of glory in the next. But long
absence from home, fatigue, disease, want, and the variety of incidents
which naturally attend war, had gradually abated that fury, which
nothing was able directly to withstand; and every one except the king of
England, expressed a desire of speedily returning into Europe. The
Germans and the Italians declared their resolution of desisting from the
enterprise: the French were still more obstinate in this purpose: the
duke of Burgundy, in order to pay court to Philip, took all
opportunities of mortifying and opposing Richard:[**] and there appeared
an absolute necessity of abandoning for the present all hopes of further
conquest, and of securing the acquisitions of the Christians by an
accommodation with Saladin, Richard, therefore concluded a truce with
that monarch; and stipulated that Acre, Joppa, and other seaport towns
of Palestine, should remain in the hands of the Christians, and that
every one of that religion should have liberty to perform his pilgrimage
to Jerusalem unmolested. This truce was concluded for three years, three
months, three weeks, three days, and three hours; a magical number,
which had probably been devised by the Europeans, and which was
suggested by a superstition well suited to the object of the war.

[* Hovelen, p. 698. Benedict. Abbas, p. 677.
Diceto, p. 662 Brompton, p. 1214.]

[** Vinisauf, p. 380.]

The liberty in which Saladin indulged the Christians, to perform their
pilgrimages to Jerusalem, was an easy sacrifice on his part; and the
furious wars which he waged in defence of the barren territory of Judea,
were not with him, as with th