ed a
reputation so profound, that passing centuries have only served more
firmly to establish it. The disposition made by this remarkable man of
his time during the different periods of his existence, will illustrate
his mental character. In his youth he was the passionate votary of
{98} pleasure and poetry: in more mature age he burned the verses he
had previously composed, studied the principles of legislation, and
discharged the duties of a judicial officer: having advanced still
farther in life, he abandoned these occupations for the pursuit of
medicine, in which he attained very great eminence: at last philosophy
alone supplied the place of every earlier taste, and wholly engrossed
his attention for the remainder of his life. It was Averroes who first
created among the Moors a taste for Greek literature. He translated
the works of Aristotle into Arabic, and wrote commentaries upon them.
He also published several other works upon philosophy and medicine, and
possessed the united glory of having both enlightened and benefited
mankind.[4]

As Africa, distracted by the long war of the Almoravides and the
Almohades, was unable to offer any opposition to the progress of the
Christians in Spain, these last, availing themselves of this condition
of affairs, continued to extend their conquests in Andalusia. If the
Spanish princes had been less disunited, and had acted in concert
against the infidels, they would have been able {99} at this period to
deprive the Mussulmans of their entire dominions in the Peninsula. But
these ever-contending princes had no sooner taken a Moorish city than
they began to dispute among themselves about its possession.

The newly-created kingdom of Portugal, established by the military
powers of Alphonso, was soon at war with that of Leon.[5] Aragon and
Castile, after many bloody quarrels, united in a league against
Navarre. Sancho VIII., the sovereign of that little state, was forced
to resort to Africa for assistance, and implore the aid of the
Almohades. But they, being but recently established on the throne of
Morocco, were still employed in exterminating the dismembered fragments
of the party of the Almoravides, and could not, in spite of their eager
desire to do so, establish any claim to their assumed rights in Spain.
Nevertheless, two kings of the race of the Almohades, both named
Joseph, passed the Mediterranean more than once with numerous armies.
The one was successfully opp